DEFENCE

3D Radar

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions since January 2008 officials of his Department have met representatives of the Norwegian company 3D Radar; and what the  (a) agenda and  (b) outcome was of each such meeting.

Peter Luff: Since January 2008 Ministry of Defence officials have met 3D Radar on the following dates:
	24 June 2009
	20 October 2009
	1 December 2009
	18 January 2010
	6 May 2010
	29 June 2010
	30 June 2010
	The meetings primarily outlined and clarified the requirement for Ground Penetrating Radar, discussed arrangements for the assessment trials and clarified project time scales. I am withholding details of the outcomes of the meetings as these are commercially sensitive.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies manufacture the  (a) battlefield clothing and  (b) boots worn by British troops serving in Afghanistan.

Peter Luff: The Department's relationship is with the prime contractor, who may choose to subcontract out some or all of the manufacturing work. The current prime contractors of battlefield clothing and combat boots used by British troops serving in Afghanistan are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Type of battlefield clothing  Prime contractor/supplier 
			 Standard battlefield clothing (known as Combat Soldier 95) and also socks Cooneen Watts & Stone, Northern Ireland 
			 Combat footwear Iturri SA, Spain 
			 Waterproof garments Thistle Garments Ltd, Glasgow 
			 Warm weather combat gloves Burfield & Co Ltd, Somerset

Armed Forces: Meat

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the two year contract extension awarded by his Department to Purple Food Service Solutions includes a requirement for them to procure British bacon for the armed forces; what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the terms of the contract; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Under the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s Food Supply contract the prime contractor, Purple Food Service Solutions, sources the majority of pig meat products from British suppliers, although bacon is currently sourced from other EU suppliers. This is because when the requirement was originally competed in accordance with EU and MOD procurement regulations British suppliers were unable to demonstrate sufficient value for money for supplying bacon.
	While no specific discussions about the terms of the Food Supply contract have been held with officials from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), informal discussions about the sourcing of bacon from non-UK sources have taken place during regular and routine meetings held between MOD and other Government Departments, including DEFRA. These discussions are aimed at assisting British companies to better compete for MOD food contracts.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will require armed services personnel to receive a psychological assessment immediately prior to leaving the services.

Andrew Robathan: All armed forces personnel receive a discharge medical assessment 90 days prior to discharge. This detailed examination is undertaken by a doctor and the results are recorded on the individual's F-Med-1 form. This form contains a specific assessment of the mental capacity and emotional stability of the individual. A reassessment is carried out seven days prior to discharge to confirm the record or reflect any further changes.
	A summary of each individual's medical history while in the armed forces, including the results of the discharge medical, is recorded on an F-Med-133 form which is given to the individual to pass on to their civilian general practitioner (GP). The F-Med-133 also contains information on how the GP can gain access to the individual's complete service medical records if required.
	The Government take mental health issues extremely seriously, and our Programme for Government makes clear that we will provide extra support for service and ex-service personnel. The Prime Minister has asked the hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) to carry out a study into the health of both serving and ex-service personnel to see what more can be done to assess and meet these needs; a focus of this study will be mental health.

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on  (a) organisation of and  (b) attendance at conferences in each year since 1997.

Andrew Robathan: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Offices

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Andrew Robathan: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the Spending Review.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on hospitality in each year since 1997.

Andrew Robathan: Expenditure on official entertainment has been as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 5.0 
			 1998-99 5.6 
			 1999-2000 6.4 
			 2000-01 8.5 
			 2001-02 7.2 
			 2002-03 7.3 
			 2003-04 8.0 
			 2004-05 6.5 
			 2005-06 5.4 
			 2006-07 4.3 
			 2007-08 4.2 
			 2008-09 4.3 
		
	
	These figures represent expenditure by the Department, the on-Vote Defence Agencies and those advisory non-departmental public bodies we sponsor.
	The figures do not include expenditure by our Trading Funds as they lie outside the departmental accounting boundary.
	We have published this information in our annual report and accounts since 2001-02. The 2009-10 figures for both administration and programme entertainment are intended for publication in the annual report and accounts due to be laid before the House on 21 July.
	We use official entertainment to pursue British security policy interests, facilitate a wider public understanding of the armed forces, and enhance professional contacts within the UK and with other nations. Expenditure must be modest and necessary, and all entertainment must be authorised in advance and comply with departmental rules and the principles of propriety.

Departmental Postal Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on postage in 2009.

Peter Luff: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. As with all items of expenditure, what we spend on postage must be necessary, appropriate, cost effective and an admissible charge to public funds.

European Fighter Aircraft

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects of the Typhoon Fighter programme on the UK's core military aerospace capability.

Peter Luff: The Strategic Defence and Security Review will define the future shape and role of the armed forces and the equipment that they will need. It would be inappropriate to single out Typhoon for further comment at this stage.

European Fighter Aircraft

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment is of the effects of maintaining a UK production line for the Typhoon Fighter on UK exports; and what account will be taken of this matter in the strategic defence and security review.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 28 June 2010,  Official Report, column 367W. Sovereign industrial implications will be considered as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, and wider industrial issues will be considered in the subsequent review of the Defence Industrial Strategy.

National Defence Industries Council

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who attended the National Defence Industries Council meeting on 21 June 2010; and in what capacity each such person attended.

Peter Luff: The National Defence Industries Council (NDIC) is the most senior forum for consultation between the Government and industry on defence matters. The Government members are Ministers and senior officials from relevant Government Departments. The industry members of the NDIC are individuals from defence companies or trade association representatives nominated by the Defence Industries Council (DIC). More details about the DIC are available on its website at:
	www.defencematters.co.uk
	Present at the meeting on 21 June were:
	 Government members
	
		
			  Ministry of Defence 
			 Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP Secretary of State for Defence; Co-Chairman of NDIC 
			 Peter Luff MP Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology 
			 Gerald Howarth MP Minister for International Security Strategy 
			 Sir Bill Jeffrey Permanent Under Secretary 
			 Ursula Brennan 2(nd) Permanent Under Secretary 
			 Vice Admiral Paul Lambert Deputy Chief Defence Staff (Capability) 
			 Tom McKane Director General Strategy 
			 Andrew Manley Director General Defence Commercial 
			 Dr Andrew Tyler Chief Operating Officer, Defence Equipment and Support (representing Chief of Defence Materiel) 
			 Dr Frances Saunders Chief Executive DSTL 
			 Susanna Mason Director Corporate Commercial 
			 Stephen French Director International Acquisition Policy 
		
	
	
		
			  Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
			 Mark Prisk MP Minister for Business and Enterprise 
			 Geoff Dart Director Advanced Manufacturing Industries 
		
	
	
		
			  HM Treasury 
			 James Quinault Head of Defence Diplomacy and Intelligence 
		
	
	
		
			  UK Trade and Investment 
			 Richard Paniguian Head of UK Trade and Investment, Defence and Security Organisation 
		
	
	
		
			  Trade Union 
			 Hugh Scullion General Secretary Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions 
		
	
	
		
			  Industry members 
			 Ian King Chairman of DIC; Co-Chairman of NDIC 
			 Victor Chavez Vice President Defence and Security, Intellect trade association 
			 Dr Sandy Wilson Vice President Defence, Aerospace Defence Security trade association 
			 Paul Lester President of the Society of Maritime Industries 
			 Alex Dorrian Industrialist 
			 Richard Martin Industrialist (SME rep) 
			 Dr David Price Industrialist 
			 Leo Quinn Industrialist 
			 Peter Rogers Industrialist 
			 Sir John Rose Industrialist 
			 Sir Kevin Tebbit Industrialist 
			 Andrew White Industrialist 
			 Rear Admiral (ret'd) Rees Ward Secretary, Defence Industries Council 
		
	
	Also present at the meeting were other members of the NDIC secretariat, private secretaries, and other officials.

Shipbuilding: Contracts

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies have been awarded contracts and sub-contracts for construction of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales; at which sites he expects work under each such contract; and what the monetary value is of each such contract.

Peter Luff: Following the signing of the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Class Aircraft Carrier contract in July 2008, construction work is now under way at six UK shipyards: Appledore, Birkenhead, Govan, Portsmouth, Rosyth and Tyne.
	Over 100 equipment sub-contracts, totalling some £1.25 billion, have been placed by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance to support the build of the QE Class. A detailed list of these sub-contracts will be placed in the Library of the House.

Shipbuilding: Manpower

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the number of people directly working on the construction of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

Peter Luff: It is anticipated that work on the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers will create or sustain a peak of 7,000 to 8,000 jobs at the Tier 1 shipyards in Glasgow, Rosyth, Portsmouth and Devon, with a further 2,000 to 3,000 in the supply chain across the UK. Construction and commissioning work is due to complete by the end of 2018.
	Current employment figures can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Type 23 Frigates

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Type 23 frigates are equipped with 2087-equipped Sonar; and whether these ships are providing the capability formerly undertaken by the Nimrod MR.2.

Peter Luff: Six Type 23s are currently equipped with 2087 Sonar, and we plan to fit a further two with it by 2013.
	Following the withdrawal from service of the Nimrod MR2, other assets, including the Type 23, are providing cover for some of its tasks.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Anaerobic Digesters

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what priorities she has set for research and development expenditure on encouraging the development of anaerobic digesters.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA and Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) Ministers jointly chaired an anaerobic digestion round table on 6 July. They discussed with stakeholders what actions the Government need to take to realise the coalition commitment to an increase in anaerobic digestion, and how this can be achieved in a cost-effective way. A note of the meeting summarising the issues raised and potential actions will be circulated to interested parties shortly. DECC and DEFRA will be jointly drawing up an action plan over the summer, looking at the economic capacity for the anaerobic digestion industry and the steps to be taken by Government and industry to realise the increase.

Countryside Quality Counts

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the future of the Countryside Quality Counts project; whether she plans to maintain the public availability of the Countryside Quality Counts results currently available on the Countryside Quality Counts website; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Natural England is committed to continuing the Countryside Quality Counts (CQC) Project and plans to publish a third assessment of change in countryside quality in 2012. This will cover the period 2004-09.
	Natural England has been exploring options for a related but improved project that better reflects the Government's needs. This has resulted in the development of the CQuEL (Character and Quality of England's Landscapes) Project.
	In line with the coalition's policy to reduce the number of Government sponsored websites, the CQC website:
	http://countryside-quality-counts.org.uk/
	has been identified as a candidate for closure. However, Natural England has arranged for the site to be transferred to the National Archive.

Departmental Training

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what training has been provided for Ministers in her Department since the formation of the present administration; and at what cost.

Richard Benyon: No training has been provided.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department plans to organise a floods summit in 2010.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is planning to hold a floods summit in September.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will undertake a review of the effectiveness of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: DEFRA, in common with all Government Departments, is currently taking steps to review all of its arm's length bodies. This includes the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

Recycling

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of local authority recycling rates for  (a) domestic and  (b) commercial food waste in the latest period for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: We have made no estimate of the local authority recycling rates for domestic and commercial food waste.
	English local authorities do submit data to an online survey called WasteDataFlow, setting out the amount of food waste collected separately and in mixed food/garden waste for recycling.
	The most recent quarter for which data are available is July to September 2009.
	In this period, 40 authorities reported having collected a total of 19,590.21 tonnes of food waste in source-segregated (food waste only) collections from households.
	In the same period, 44 authorities reported having collected a total of 134,874.67 tonnes of mixed food/garden waste from households. The bulk of this in most cases would be garden waste rather than food waste.
	Where food waste is collected by local authorities from non-household sources (which would include any collected from commercial sources), seven authorities reported having collected 296.75 tonnes of food waste in total.
	 Source:
	WasteDataFlow

Whales: Conservation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports she has received on the decision of the International Whaling Commission to hold part of the proceedings of its 62nd meeting in Morocco in private; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I have not received any reports on the decision to hold part of the IWC proceedings of the 62nd meeting in private.
	The UK generally opposes holding IWC proceedings in private. However, following the impasse that occurred on the discussion of the IWC reform in the open forum, on this occasion we reluctantly agreed to ensure all negotiating options were exhausted.
	We would not wish this type of meeting adopted as a standard procedure in the future, but nonetheless, we ensured the EU maintained our strong pro-conservation stance throughout.

Whales: Conservation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she expressed to her Japanese counterpart the Government's policy on the commercial fishing of dolphins and porpoises at the 62nd annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Morocco in June 2010.

Richard Benyon: The UK opposes all forms of dolphin and porpoise drives and believe they cause unacceptable levels of suffering. At the recent annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in June, 2010 (IWC62) the UK urged members to support the conservation of small cetaceans.
	The Japanese Government are in no doubt of the strength of feeling in the country about these hunts and the UK Government will continue to make their opposition to the hunting of small cetaceans known to Japan at every appropriate opportunity and argue that they undermine the credibility of the IWC as an effective organisation for the conservation of cetacean stocks worldwide.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Official Cars

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which Ministers in his Department have used an allocated ministerial car to travel between the Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010.

David Mundell: The Ministerial Code sets out use of official cars. Paragraph 10.12 states that Ministers are permitted to use an official car for official business and for home to office journeys within a reasonable distance of London on the understanding that they would normally be carrying classified papers on which they would be working.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Local Government Services: VAT

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received on the effects of the proposed value added tax increase on public services in Scotland.

Michael Moore: The Budget was discussed in a recent HM Treasury and Scotland Office seminar, with participants from the public sector, as well as Scottish business organisations, financial services and academia. Other representations have been received on a range of Budget issues. The VAT rise is unavoidable if this Government are to tackle the inherited budget deficit, which is the largest in peacetime history. Failure to address the deficit could see higher interest rates and no real recovery.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Leader of the House which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his Office and  (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in his Office.

George Young: Ministerial speeches are drafted on a collaborative basis, which includes advice from civil servants and the Leader of the House of Commons' special adviser.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Educational Visits: Parliament

Priti Patel: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission if the House of Commons Commission will take steps to increase the number of places available for educational visits by school parties to the Palace of Westminster; and if he will ensure that hon. Members elected at the most recent general election are able to arrange visits for schools in their constituencies in 2010.

Stuart Bell: There are two routes commonly taken by school parties wishing to visit Parliament. They may either contact Parliament's Education Service directly to book onto its regular visit and workshop programme, or contact their constituency MP who can sponsor a tour organised through the Central Tours Office (CTO). Both services are heavily oversubscribed.
	Member-sponsored tours take place when Parliament is sitting. The CTO opens booking for Member-sponsored tours six months in advance; the number of tours available is limited by the sitting times of both Houses. Currently, there is some availability in October, November and December 2010.
	Education Service visits to Parliament are booked in advance on a term by term basis; schools book direct with the Education Service and are used to this practice. All available visits generally book up on the day they are released. Visits between April and July 2010 were booked in January 2010, and visits between September and December 2010 were booked in April 2010. There are currently over 16,000 young people with confirmed bookings for education visits in the remainder of 2010. The next booking date is 6 October 2010, when places on the visit programme between January and March 2011 will become available. The bookings line number is 0207 219 4496. Full details of the education visits programme and the booking process can be found on the Education Service website at:
	www.parliament.uk/education
	Unfortunately, with the accommodation currently available to the Education Service, it cannot meet the existing demand from schools, despite the substantial increase in capacity in recent years (up from 11,000 in 2005-06 to 40,000 in 2009-10). In the last Parliament, the House of Commons Administration Committee's report "Improving Facilities for Educational Visitors to Parliament" published in April 2007, recommended that a dedicated space for school visitors should be provided, and this is now in the Works programme. It is envisaged that the planned Education Centre would allow an increase in the number of places available on education visits to 100,000 per year from 2013.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what estimate she has made of the expenditure of the Government Equalities Office on  (a) organisation of and  (b) attendance at conferences in each year since its creation.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office does not hold information split between holding and attending conferences. However the total spend since inception was as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Conference expenditure (£000) 
			 2007-08(1) 220,167 
			 2008-09 305,275 
			 2009-10 414,423 
			 (1)( )12 October 2007 to 31 March 2008

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Government Equalities Office has spent  (a) in total and  (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many people are employed by the Government Equalities Office for this purpose.

Lynne Featherstone: The expenditure of the Government Equalities Office has fallen over the last three years from £83 million to £69 million. The detail is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  GEO costs  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			  Administration costs
			 Staff costs 3,996 5,210 6,496 
			 Other administration costs 1,212 2,701 2,863 
			 
			  Programme costs
			 Staff costs 329 324 862 
			 Programme expenditure 1,473 2,179 3,864 
			 Grant in aid to NDPBs 77,047 59,264 55,049 
			 Income -1,041 -27 -124 
			 Total 83,016 69,651 69,010 
			  Note: The Government Equalities Office grant to NDPBs includes an element related to Human Rights. 
		
	
	For 2010-11 the Government Equalities Office contributed £9 million to deficit reduction.
	All of the Government Equalities Office staff is employed on promoting equality and diversity.

Departmental Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of travel she has undertaken in an official capacity in  (a) May 2010 and  (b) June 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Women and Equalities is also the Home Secretary. In her ministerial capacity as Minister for Women and Equalities, she did not incur any additional travel expenses.

Equal Pay

Caroline Flint: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether she plans to bring forward proposals for secondary legislation to implement gender pay audits.

Lynne Featherstone: The coalition agreement makes clear the Government's commitment to promote equal pay and to take a range of measures to end discrimination in the workplace.
	There is currently no power in law which could be used to impose full gender pay audits on employers by means of secondary legislation. Section 78 of the Equality Act 2010 contains a power to require employers to publish information relating to the pay of employees in order to show whether there are differences in the pay of male and female employees, with regard to factors that would have to be specified in the secondary legislation. But this power would not allow the imposition of full gender pay audits. In particular, it would not allow regulations to be made that require the prescribed information to be analysed to establish the causes of any pay gaps identified.
	We are currently considering our next steps in respect of equal pay, and we will make an announcement in due course.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Correspondence

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Tottenham of 27 May 2010 on betting shops in Tottenham constituency.

Jeremy Hunt: I have asked my Department to respond to correspondence within 48 hours and I apologise that this has not happened in this instance, due to an administrative error in my Department. A response was sent on 8 July 2010.

Departmental Internet

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on website design in each year since 1997.

John Penrose: Prior to 2000, this Department's website site was developed in-house at no cost. In 2000 £81,134 was spent on redevelopment of a new website and a portion of this was for design, though exact figures are not available. Changes to the design in 2005 cost £31,104.54. In 2009-10 the site was redesigned as part of essential work to bring the structure and content up to date, improve accessibility and allow the use of social media feeds (which the previous site could not support). The total cost for design was £8,383.75.
	Information on the amount spent on website designs by the DCMS agency and arms length bodies is held by them and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his  (a) Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on logo design in each year since 1997.

John Penrose: In 1997 this Department spent £26,000 for the production of a new logo and to develop new documents and stationery.
	In 2006 a brand refresh was needed to include comprehensive brand guidelines covering all marketing applications as well as document templates. The cost was £24,315.
	Information on our agency and arm's length bodies' spend on logo designs is held by them, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on savings (2010-11), under what budgetary headings the £88 million of savings allocated to his Department will be made.

Jeremy Hunt: The majority of arms length bodies had their budgets reduced by 3%. The £88 million of savings were made from the following institutions. Each body is responsible individually for determining from which of its internal budget headings to take the savings.
	
		
			  Institution  Saving (£ million) 
			 British Museum 1.832 
			 Natural History Museum 1.833 
			 Imperial War Museum 0.964 
			 National Gallery 0.912 
			 National Maritime Museum 0.678 
			 National Museums Liverpool 0.817 
			 National Portrait Gallery 0.265 
			 National Museum of Science and Industry 1.476 
			 Tate 2.164 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 1.628 
			 Wallace Collection 0.161 
			 Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester 0.193 
			 Sir John Soane's Museum 0.037 
			 Horniman Museum 0.153 
			 Geffrye Museum 0.055 
			 Royal Armouries 0.319 
			 British Library 3.976 
			 Public Lending Right 0.230 
			 Museums, Libraries and Archives Council 0.408 
			 Regional Funds (Renaissance) 1.455 
			 Arts Council of England 18.968 
			 The Royal Parks 0.639 
			 English Heritage 4.241 
			 Churches Conservation Trust 0.095 
			 Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment 0.601 
			 Royal Household 0.502 
			 Sport England 4.254 
			 UK Sport 1.705 
			 UK Anti-Doping 0.193 
			 Football Licensing Authority 0.038 
			 VisitBritain 1.252 
			 Gambling Commission 0.019 
			 UK Film Council 1.303 
			 S4C 2.000 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 27.000 
			 Departmental Administration 1.647 
			 Other Departmental reductions 3.987 
			 Total 88.000 
		
	
	The Department itself is meeting its share of savings by reducing its administrative expenditure (mainly: travel and subsistence-including ministerial cars, consultancy, training, and publicity); elements of pay budget e.g. overtime; grants it makes to other institutions and programmes; and its own capital expenditure (mainly software upgrades).

Departmental Regulation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which of his Department's regulations are under review; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: In the Budget the Government announced plans for reducing the regulatory burdens on business, including the introduction of a one-in-one out system for new regulations and a fundamental review of all regulation inherited from the previous Government scheduled for introduction over the coming year. These regulations will not be implemented until they have been reviewed and re-agreed by the Reducing Regulation Cabinet Committee.
	As part of a wider review of employment law, the Department will also be reviewing laws within relevant policy areas to "ensure they maximise flexibility for both parties while protecting fairness and providing the competitive environment required for enterprise to thrive".
	The Your Freedom website:
	http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk
	launched by the Deputy Prime Minister on 1 July 2010, will also give members of the public the opportunity to suggest existing regulations for removal, in order to reduce the burden on business.

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his Department and  (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in his Department.

John Penrose: One civil servant is employed to write speeches for Ministers on departmental business.

EC Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will estimate the cost to his Department of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Hunt: A considered estimate of the cost to this Department from complying with EU regulations and obligations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Gaming Machines

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of fixed odds betting terminals in operation in bookmakers.

John Penrose: The Gambling Commission's industry statistics for 2008-09 include a British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA) estimate for the number of gaming machines available to the public as at 31 March 2009. For B2s, this was approximately 27,500.
	A full breakdown of these statistics can be found on page 11 at:
	http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/pdf/Gambling%20Industry%20Statistics%202008%202009%20-%20update%20-%20October%202009.pdf

Gaming Machines

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2010,  Official Report, column 602W, on gambling, whether he discussed fixed odds betting terminals in High Street bookmakers when he met the Chair of the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board on 3 June 2010.

John Penrose: A range of issues relating to the research, education and treatment of problem gambling in the UK were discussed at my meeting with Baroness Julia Neuberger.
	There was no formal agenda for the meeting, but I can confirm that a variety of gambling activities, including Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs), were included within that general discussion.

Horserace Totalisator Board

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of the net proceeds from the disposal of the Tote he plans to return to horse racing organisations.

John Penrose: As I said in response to my hon. Friend's on 1 July 2010,  Official Report, column 603W, the Government are currently considering a range of options for the future of the Tote with the aim of securing value for the taxpayer while recognising the support the Tote currently provides the racing industry.
	Given the sensitive nature of the discussions I am afraid I cannot add any more to those comments at this stage, but the Government will announce how they intend to proceed as soon as possible.

Olympic Games 2012: Folk Culture

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether proposals will be invited for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics to include items featuring Britain's traditional folk culture; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is working hard to scope the ambition of the ceremonies, and will consider a range of options that reflect and celebrate our unique British values and culture.

Olympic Games 2012: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely legacy for the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and its residents from the London 2012 Olympics; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to ensure that cities and towns  (a) outside London and  (b) in the West Midlands will benefit from the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: The Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) established the Nations and Regions Group to ensure UK-wide engagement and to maximise the legacy from London 2012. This group works directly with representatives from each of the nations and English regions to realise the sporting, economic, and cultural benefits of the 2012 games.
	I have not made an assessment of the specific legacy for Dudley. However, the West Midlands stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the 2012 games, through businesses winning games-related work, increased tourism and cultural celebrations. Some examples of how cities and towns outside London and, in particular the West Midlands, are benefitting from the games are given as follows.
	Across the UK over 118,000 companies have registered on Competefor (the website where London 2012 contract opportunities are advertised) and over 1,100 contracts have been awarded to Competefor suppliers. Information on businesses in the West Midlands that have directly supplied the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is available in the business section of the London 2012 website under the heading ODA Suppliers, where you will be able to find suppliers listed by venue and sector:
	www.london2012.com/business
	The City of Coventry football stadium will be one of the key non-London venues, hosting football matches, and along with pre-games training camps will provide an opportunity to create further economic benefits, including inward investment, through the international attention that will follow. In the West Midlands there are 32 facilities that met the criteria to be world-class training venues for Olympic and Paralympic sport, which are included in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide. The guide has been produced in an online form and is accessible at:
	http://trainingcamps.london2012.com
	Over 620 cultural and sporting programmes across the UK have been awarded Inspire Marks, including 32 in the West Midlands. Over 13,000 schools/colleges across the UK have registered for LOCOG's education programme Get Set, including 1,115 schools/colleges in the West Midlands-41% of the total number in the region.
	The West Midlands has also secured £2.2 million from the Legacy Trust to fund programmes in the region, bringing people together for community activities of all kinds.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China: Human Rights

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the human rights situation in China.

Jeremy Browne: The Government have serious concerns about a wide range of human rights issues including the extensive use of the death penalty and detention without trial; the use of torture; the continuing harassment of political dissidents, religious practitioners and adherents of the Falun Gong movement; and severe restrictions on basic rights such as freedom of speech and association. The Government note that China has made good progress on economic and social rights in the last 30 years, bringing more people out of poverty than any country in history.
	The Government attach high importance to human rights in China and would like to see much more rapid progress on civil and political rights, not least because that will help to sustain China's economic development. We encourage China to set a timetable for ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as soon as possible. We continue to raise human rights concerns as part of our dialogue with China.

Corruption

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the foreign bribery briefing document provided by his Department to outgoing commercial officers.

Henry Bellingham: Outgoing commercial officers receive training on dealing with bribery and corruption at Post. This is delivered by the Anti Corruption Unit in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and covers the current UK law, officers' obligations under the law, and sources of support and information available to them and to businesses.
	In addition, all officers at our overseas Posts have access to an online anti-corruption toolkit. This offers a wide range of guidance on dealing with bribery and corruption while overseas. It includes sections on:
	UK legislation relating to bribery and corruption,
	how, when and to whom officers should report allegations or suspicions of bribery or corruption by UK businesses or individuals,
	how to deal with allegations of corruption by UK officials,
	encouraging reporting by members of UK companies or organisations overseas, and
	advice to business.
	The advice to business section includes guidance for officers on how to advise UK companies on managing the risks of overseas corruption, including best practice on key issues such as:
	bribe solicitation, extortion and duress,
	so-called 'facilitation payments',
	gifts and hospitality,
	third party partners, and
	a list of additional resources companies can refer to on bribery and corruption issues.
	A standard script for business is included in this section, giving details of sources of further support and guidance for businesses concerned about bribery and corruption issues as follows.
	An annual e-gram on bribery and corruption is sent to all our Posts, for the attention of all officers, outlining the current UK law, officers' obligations under the law, and sources of support and information available to them and to businesses. This e-gram also forms part of the anti-corruption toolkit.
	With the exception of the script for business, the toolkit and other documents mentioned have been designed for use by Foreign and Commonwealth and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) officers. It is not therefore appropriate to place them in the Library, but I would be happy to forward a copy to you for your personal information if you so wished.
	Further information is available to both officers and businesses through the Overseas Security Information for Business service, hosted by the UKTI website. This provides UK business with country-specific information relating to the security related risks, including bribery and corruption risks, which companies face when operating overseas.
	 Script f or Business
	Foreign bribery is a business risk that needs to be actively managed, like fraud or embezzlement. Corruption adds up to 10% to the total cost of doing business globally, and up to 25% to the cost of procurement contracts in developing countries. Moving business from a country with low corruption levels to a country with medium or high corruption levels is found to add costs equivalent to a 20% tax on foreign business.
	There are a lot of useful, free resources available to help businesses manage this risk. For example, as part of the Government's efforts to support business integrity, the UK is funding the Business Anti-Corruption Portal, which is of particular use to Small and Medium Enterprises(1), providing summaries of international studies and knowledge about particularly exposed markets, sectors and regions.
	One of the first steps in managing the risk of bribery is for a company to implement a robust anti-bribery policy through training and disciplinary procedures. A clear and consistent message from the top is the essential core of successful anti-corruption policy, backed up by a robust internal audit programme. Recent enforcement action against UK companies has demonstrated that companies need to look beyond written corporate policy, to ensure effective implementation and monitoring.
	There are a number of business guides for designing and implementing an anti-corruption policy, such as Transparency International's Business Principles(2) and the International Chamber of Commerce's Rules of Conduct(3). A number of industry sectors have also developed sector specific guides, specialist codes of practice and transparent procurement agreements(4).
	UK exporters and investors should also ensure that their management control systems meet international standards for anti-corruption. The Government encourages UK businesses to follow the voluntary OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises(5), which includes specific anti-corruption guidelines. Companies should also consider additional due diligence when engaging foreign agents or operating in weak governance zones(6).
	The Government is aware that petty corruption and bribe solicitation remain a problem for UK exporters and overseas investors. The best defence against bribe solicitation and demands for 'facilitation payments' is good preparation and participation in local integrity pacts or other anti-corruption initiatives. There is also a growing body of specialised anti-corruption risk management for these problems, including international initiatives such as RESIST(7) (Resisting Extortion and Solicitation in International Transactions).
	(1)http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/about-this-portal/?pageid=46
	(2)http://www.transparency.org/global_priorities/private_sector/business_principles
	(3)http://www.iccwbo.org/policy/anticorruption/id870/index.html
	(4)http://www.giaccentre.org/
	http://eiti.org/
	http://www.sbac.co.uk/pages/83675783.asp
	http://www.anticorruptionforum.org.uk/acf/pages/acf.php
	(5)http://www.berr.gov.uk/policies/business-sectors/low-carbon-business-opportunities/sustainable-development/corporate-responsibility/uk-ncp-oecd-guidelines
	(6)http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/26/21/36885821.pdf
	(7)http://www.unglobalcompact.org/issues/transparency_anticorruption/Anti-Corruption_Guidance_Material.html

Counter-terrorism: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much funding he expects to be allocated to his Department's counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation programmes in Pakistan in financial year 2010-11;
	(2)  what percentage of his Department's counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation programmes is projected to be spent in Yemen in 2010-11;
	(3)  what percentage of Counter-Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme funding is planned to be spent in  (a) Pakistan,  (b) Afghanistan,  (c) Saudi Arabia and  (d) East Africa in 2010-11.

Alistair Burt: Due to the sensitive nature of counter-terrorism projects, we cannot provide details of the exact amounts allocated to projects in specific countries under the Counter-Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme.

Departmental Catering

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on catering in each year from 1997 to 2009.

Alistair Burt: We cannot separate out catering costs from wider official hospitality expenses without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Cars

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Ministers in his Department have used an allocated Ministerial car to travel between his Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe gave to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) on 8 June,  Official Report, column 100W. Ministers prefer to walk. Sometimes lack of time, or the need to take large files, means they have to travel by car. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many of his Department's contracts with its suppliers are under review as a result of the recently announced reductions in public expenditure; and what the monetary value is of all such contracts which are under review;
	(2)  how many officials in his Department are working on renegotiating contracts for the supply of goods and services to the Department as a result of recently announced reductions in public spending; what savings are expected to accrue to his Department from such renegotiations; how much expenditure his Department will incur on such renegotiations; and when such renegotiations will be completed.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) operates a policy of continually reviewing its contracts, taking the opportunity to renegotiate contracts in accordance with EU directives, achieving efficiency savings where possible.
	This current review of FCO contracts is being led by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), now part of the Cabinet Office, on behalf of central Government.
	At this time the FCO, like other central Government Departments, is taking the lead from OGC as to the suppliers and contracts that may be subject to review and renegotiation. We are unclear at present as to which FCO contracts may be affected by this programme of renegotiation, so accordingly cannot identify the expected savings or the expenditure the Department will incur.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on savings (2010-11), under what budgetary headings the £55 million of savings allocated to his Department will be made.

Alistair Burt: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) on 7 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 23-4W and the written ministerial statement issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 29 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 37-8WS.

Israel: Borders

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on relaxing the restrictions on border crossings with the Gaza Strip.

Alistair Burt: We are in regular contact and dialogue with the Israeli Government, on a number of matters related to the middle east peace process-this includes the current humanitarian situation in Gaza.
	We have made clear that the situation in Gaza is a tragedy and unsustainable. Together with the EU and Quartet, we have called on Israel to ease restrictions on access and enable a return to economic normality. I therefore welcomed Israel's decision to move from a list of 120 permitted goods to a list of specific prohibited items.
	It is now imperative that all parties work together urgently to deliver real change on the ground.

Overseas Aid: Terrorism

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent from his Department's overseas counter-terrorism budget for 2010-11.

William Hague: The budget for the Counter Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme for 2010-11 has been set at £38 million. Breaking down this budget further could reveal our capabilities and details of the security and intelligence agencies spending. It has been the policy of successive Governments not to reveal these details. All expenditure is kept under rigorous scrutiny to ensure value for money and effectiveness and is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Pakistan: Terrorism

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much he expects to be spent from the Counter-Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme budget in Pakistan in 2010-11.

William Hague: Due to the sensitive nature of counter-terrorism projects, we cannot provide details of the exact amounts allocated to projects in specific countries under the Counter Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Israel on the three British citizens arrested on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla who were returned to the UK without their passports.

Alistair Burt: I raised this issue with Israel's ambassador to the UK. Our ambassador to Israel and other members of our embassy in Tel Aviv also raised the matter on a number of occasions with the Israeli authorities. It has also been raised by the EU presidency, on behalf of EU heads of mission, with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I can confirm we have received all three missing passports which are being returned to the holders.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to secure the return of the property confiscated from British citizens on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla by the Israeli authorities.

Alistair Burt: We have raised these specific issues with Israel's ambassador to the UK. Our ambassador to Israel and other members of our embassy in Tel Aviv have also raised the matter on a number of occasions with the Israeli authorities. It has also been raised by the EU presidency, on behalf of EU heads of mission, with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We, and the EU, have been informed by the Israelis that, with the exception of electronic and media equipment, the personal belongings have now been sent to Turkey, to the organisers of the Flotilla, Insan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve Insani Yardim Vakfi-The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH). We understand that the Turkish authorities agree this to be correct. We have been informed by the Israeli authorities that the return of electronic and media equipment is under consideration by the Israeli defence forces. We will continue to press for its return and availability for use in the inquiry, as required by those conducting it.
	Although we are not legally obliged to pursue either legal action, or to seek the return of a British national's property, nor is it part of our consular assistance policy to do so, exceptionally in this case, we have asked our consular staff in Istanbul to follow up with IHH who still hold over 300 pieces of unclaimed luggage, including watches, phones and cameras. Our consular staff have taken photographs of everything that was seen in IHH's storage, which we will shortly be distributing to the British nationals involved so they can attempt to identify any property that is theirs.

Terrorism

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what budget has been set for his Department's overseas counter-terrorism programme in 2010-11.

William Hague: I refer to the answer my hon. Friend Alistair Burt gave the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne) on 7 July 2010,  Official Report, column 312W.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Luton

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract for the Luton Dunstable busway project;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 5-6W, on bus services: Luton, whether the contract for the Luton Dunstable busway project contained a cancellation clause.

Norman Baker: holding answer 12 July 2010
	The Department for Transport has not seen and does not hold a copy of the contract between Luton borough council and BAM Nuttall in respect of the Luton Dunstable Busway project. I suggest that the hon. Member contacts the council to obtain a copy.

Chesterton Railway Station

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has undertaken of Chesterton station to decide whether it should be included in the High Level Output Specification for Control Period 5.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 12 July 2010
	The Department for Transport has worked with Cambridgeshire county council and Network Rail to assess the scheme for a possible station at Chesterton. The county council are considering funding options. No decisions have yet been made over the Control Period 5 High Level Output Specification, which covers the five-year period from April 2014 to March 2019.

Cycling

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the access to roads for  (a) cyclists and  (b) the public during competitive cycling races.

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State for Transport has had no discussions with ministerial colleagues on the access to roads for cyclists and the public during competitive cycling races.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which projects his Department has funded for improvements to the Dartford crossing since 2000; and what the total cost was of each project on the latest date for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: The following table sets out Highways Agency improvements projects from April 2003 to September 2009. They include all expenditure including technology renewals, but exclude maintenance and renewals activities. Details of improvements before April 2003 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Project description  Expenditure (£) 
			 Toll Booth Protection Scheme 1,755,066 
			 Minor Safety and Improvement Projects (2003 to 2007) 1,385,254 
			 Queen Elizabeth II Bridge Pylon Protection Improvements 740,775 
			 Layout of the North-Bound Entry to the East Tunnel as a Contingency for a Tunnel Closure 439,702 
			 Automatic Fire Suppression and Detection Improvements (East and West Tunnels) 366,181 
			 Installation of Speed Detection Equipment and Cameras (Queen Elizabeth II Bridge) 322,997 
			 Traffic Officer Control Room Upgrade 267,982 
			 Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signage Installation (Junction 2 to 30) 227,651 
			 Information Technology Developments for Dart-Tag and Toll Booths 218,159 
			 European Union Tunnel Safety Directive works 167,515 
			 National Motorway Communications System and Variable Messaging System Upgrade 142,391 
			 Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signage (Junction 30 to Plaza) 117,272 
			 Information Points, Board and Sign Installation 109,976 
			 Close Circuit Television Replacement 95,966 
			 National Motorway Communications System Upgrade 82,770 
			 A282 Express Lane Improvement Scheme 60,403 
			 Improvements from Junction 1A to Queen Elizabeth II Bridge Accident Cluster 56,636 
			 Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signage (MIDAS) Installation 53,791 
			 Road Accident Safety Improvements (Queen Elizabeth II Bridge Approach) 52,371 
			 Additional CCTV Cameras 47,618 
			 Network Referencing System and Installation (Signage and Marker Posts in Tunnels) 39,458 
			 National Motorways Communications Link Installation 34,427 
			 Signing improvements for Dangerous Loads 31,061 
			 Road Accident Safety Improvements (Junction 1A) 22,066 
			 Roadside Safety Restraints 15,375 
			 Road Accident Safety Improvements (Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and Approach) 13,389 
			 Emergency Turnaround Points 10,379 
			 Other Minor Safety Initiatives 985

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the merits of levying tolls in one direction only in order to increase capacity at the Dartford crossing.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport and the Highways Agency are committed to improving the levels of service experienced by the millions of users of the Dartford crossing.
	Previous studies recommended further investigation of measures to provide short and longer-term improvements to the performance of the crossing:
	through better traffic management, better design of the tolling plaza and newer tolling technologies.
	the possibility of one-way tolling.
	the case for the provision of additional crossing capacity in the longer-term.
	However, we will need to be clear of the potential benefits and impacts such proposals will bring, and will want to understand the potential implementation costs.
	My priority when considering of the options for improvements to the Dartford crossing is the investigation of the use of newer charging technology to allow the introduction of free-flow charging, where I have asked for further advice from officials on the costs, possible funding sources and benefits of options for the use of such technologies.

Departmental Location

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to relocate  (a) civil servants and  (b) Government bodies for which his Department is responsible (i) out of London and (ii) to the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Departmental Official Cars

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Ministers in his Department have used an allocated ministerial car to travel between the Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 2 June 2010,  Official Report, column 6W. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Official Cars

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the mileage travelled by each Minister in his Department in a Government car in  (a) May and  (b) June 2010.

Michael Penning: Departments are unable to estimate the mileage travelled by each Minister in a Government car in May and June 2010 because this information is not recorded.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on savings (2010-11), under what budgetary headings the £683 million of savings allocated to his Department will be made.

Philip Hammond: My Department will find £683 million of savings through:
	a £309 million reduction in specific grants to local authorities;
	a proposed £108 million reduction in the Department's grant to Transport for London, on which I am consulting with the Mayor of London;
	Network Rail will reduce spend by £100 million; and
	a further £112 million of savings in my Department's direct expenditure, including consultancy, research, travel and subsistence, IT, marketing and communications, training, agency staff, and office consumables.
	While these efficiencies have taken my Department a long way to the total amount, the deferral of £54 million that would have been spent on lower priority schemes has also been necessary. This includes not going forward in 2010-11 with planned spend on some rail rolling stock schemes that have not already been contractualised. It also includes postponement of highways improvements on the A453, A23 and M6 junctions 5-8.

Departmental Training

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what training has been provided for Ministers in his Department since the formation of the present administration; and at what cost.

Norman Baker: Mike Penning, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, attended an Induction Workshop for new Ministers, run by the National School of Government (NSG). This is part of the NSG's core training and was provided at no additional cost to the Department.
	No other Ministers have attended any formal training courses.

Freight: Southampton

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the annual  (a) monetary value and  (b) contribution to the economy of freight to and from the Port of Southampton.

Michael Penning: None. The Department for Transport does not publish or collate statistics for individual ports in this form. However, figures for traffic through Southampton, which confirm its major importance for the economy, are available in table 3.8.44 of 'Maritime Statistics'. Provisional statistics for 2009 are also available. These show that in 2009 Southampton was the fifth largest port in the UK in terms of traffic handled. See web references:
	www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/162469/221412/221658/223721/4082361/maritimestatistics2008.pdf
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/ports/provportstats2009

Highways Agency: Telephone Services

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many call handlers are employed to operate the Highways Agency Information Line; and how many calls the line has received in the last 12 months.

Michael Penning: 19 advisers (call handlers) cover 6 am to 10 pm seven days a week. Overnight calls are answered by national incident liaison officers as part of their other duties.
	177,212 calls were received in the 12 month period ending 31 May 2010 and 38,281 e-mails were received and handled.

M6

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future of the M54 to M6 toll road link; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Government have made clear their most urgent priority is to tackle the UK's record budget deficit in order to restore confidence in the economy and support the economy.
	Ministers are therefore reviewing all Department for Transport projects and programmes as part of the spending review to ensure they represent good value for money and are consistent with the Government's objectives. I am unable to comment further on specific schemes until the spending review has been concluded.

Motorways: Litter

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government plan to take to reduce litter on motorways; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The responsibility for clearance of highway litter and the sweeping of carriageways is governed by the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Highways Agency is responsible for litter collections on motorways in England and these are undertaken by the Agency's service providers, who are required under their contracts to meet the standards set out in the Act.
	The Agency is continuing to work to identify ways to reduce litter on motorways. It is focused on delivering reliable levels of service while optimising value for money. Areas which are being considered include collaborative working with local authorities and other key stakeholders, and improving interaction with customers on litter prevention, so that they are deterred from littering at all.

Network Rail: Correspondence

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department provides to Network Rail on responding to enquiries from hon. Members.

Theresa Villiers: As a company limited by guarantee, it is for Network Rail to decide how to respond to such requests. The Department for Transport does not currently provide guidance to Network Rail on this matter. However, the Government are committed to ensuring that the company is properly accountable to its customers, passengers and others with a legitimate interest in its operations.

Railways: Finance

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of the alternative systems to the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) set out in the Review of the Intercity Express Programme, published on 7 July 2010 he plans to consider before the publication of the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review; and what criteria other than value for money he plans to use in assessing the merits of each system.

Theresa Villiers: We will reassess the Intercity Express Programme and consider possible alternatives, such as refurbishment of existing rolling stock and the various different approaches recommended for investigation within Sir Andrew Foster's review of the programme. In accordance with Sir Andrew's recommendations, the Department for Transport will also engage more closely with industry.
	All options will be appraised in line with standard value for money and affordability criteria.

Railways: Liverpool

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the expected completion date is for the electrification of the rail network between Liverpool and Leeds; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The previous Government announced that the railway line between Liverpool and Manchester, via Newton-le-Willows, would be electrified by the end of 2013. There are no plans currently in place to electrify the line onwards to Leeds.
	The Government support rail electrification as it helps to reduce carbon emissions and cut running costs. However, as part of the spending review process Ministers are considering the full range of transport policy to ascertain what is affordable.

Railways: Wessex

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Wessex rail route to reach capacity.

Theresa Villiers: The Wessex rail route is operated by Network Rail and they make assessments of likely future use by train operators. Their 2010 Wessex Route Plan forecasts continuing growth in demand and puts forward measures to improve the effective use of capacity, but does not identify when the route will reach capacity. The Government are committed to long-term infrastructure investment which supports sustainable economic growth.

Road Traffic Control

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of  (a) road humps and  (b) other traffic calming measures as a means of reducing road traffic accidents; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport has in the past carried out extensive road safety research covering a wide range of topics, including the development and evaluation of road humps and other traffic calming measures designed to reduce vehicle speeds and road accidents.
	"Local Transport Note 1/07: Traffic Calming" summarises this research, including that into the effectiveness of road humps and traffic calming measures on accidents. It is available from the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/ltnotes/
	Research has shown that reductions in speed will deliver safety benefits (for example a review undertaken for the Department)
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme4/20mphzoneresearch.pdf
	This research shows that the most reliable way of achieving lower traffic speeds in urban areas is through engineering, using approaches such as traffic calming or greater enforcement.

Roads: Accidents

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the monetary value of savings attributed to the prevention of road death and injury at monitored speed camera sites in each year since 2007.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport has not made any estimate of the value of savings attributed to the prevention of road death and injury at specific speed camera sites. However, the Department's guidance does recommend that speed and collision data are collected by road safety partnerships and the contribution cameras make to casualty reduction monitored and reviewed, at least annually.
	The Department has estimated that the camera sites included in the former national safety camera programme have together been saving approximately £400 million per year of casualty and accident costs since 2007. This estimate is based on the findings of the 'National Safety Camera Programme: Four Year Evaluation Report' (PA Consulting and University College London, December 2005), with some assumptions about how casualty savings have reduced since, for example due to reductions in casualty levels for other reasons. It includes savings at both speed and red light camera sites.
	The Department's latest estimates of the annual cost to the UK economy of road accidents are published in Reported Road Casualties Great Britain (RRCGB): 2008 Annual Report, on page 28, table 2c. Copies of the report have been deposited in the House Library and are also available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/accidents/casualtiesgbar/

Roads: Doncaster

Rosie Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of not proceeding with  (a) planned improvements to White Rose Way in Doncaster and  (b) the Feningley and Rossington Route Regeneration Scheme to Doncaster.

Norman Baker: We have not made any decisions about which local authority major schemes will be supported and will not be in a position to do so until after the spending review. Consequently no such assessment has been made.

Speed Limits: Fines

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of increasing the penalties applied to speeding offences.

Michael Penning: No assessment has been made about the merits of changing the penalty system for speeding. However, the Department keeps all its policies under review and will be considering a number of options to improve road safety. Any change to the penalty system for speeding would be subject to public consultation.

Speed Limits: Urban Areas

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish  (a) a record of each meeting he has held with other Ministers in his Department and  (b) each submission he has received from (i) other Ministers and (ii) officials in his Department on speed limits in urban areas.

Philip Hammond: I have regular scheduled weekly meetings with my ministerial team as well as ad hoc discussions when required. In line with paragraph 2.1 of the Ministerial Code I am not prepared to publish records of these meetings or internal discussions and submissions.
	DFT Ministers have had several meetings and received a number of submissions on speed policy.

Transport: Capital Investment

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of his Department's capital projects is being reviewed in 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 7W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) males and  (b) females in each age group have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of offences related to anti-Semitic violence in (A) Southend, (B) Essex, (C) the Metropolitan Police area of London and (D) England and Wales in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: This information is not collected centrally. The Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. These data include information on the age of the defendant, their gender, the police force area and court where proceedings took place as well as the specific offence and statute for the offence. Other than where specified in the statute, information held centrally does not include the details of the victim.

Asylum

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of claimants for asylum advised by Refugee and Migrant Justice before it went into administration; and what assessment her Department has made of the effects of that administration on the  (a) time taken to complete claims and  (b) costs to the public purse of processing the claims of those persons .

Damian Green: In each case where the UK Border Agency is notified by an individual applicant's legal representative of their details, these are recorded on our caseworking database. UK Border Agency internal management information shows that, at the beginning of July, Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) were on the database representing more than 10,000 asylum applicants, of which fewer than half are recorded as being active cases. We are waiting to be advised of RMJ's final estimates of numbers of clients by the Legal Services Commission as RMJ's administrators manage the transfer of cases to other representatives.
	The UK Border Agency, with the Legal Services Commission, is working to ensure prompt access to alternative legal representation for all applicants as well as to ensure that the impact of what has happened to RMJ, in terms of both cost and effect on individual cases, is minimised.

Asylum

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funds have been provided to Maxim Bakiyev following his application for asylum in the UK.

Damian Green: It is not Home Office policy to comment on individual cases.

Asylum

Phil Woolas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the time taken to publish Compass programme contract notices relating to the commissioning of services for asylum seekers.

Damian Green: The original timetable for the COMPASS programme was to publish the invitation to tender for new asylum accommodation services in the summer of 2010.
	Given the recent change of Government and the size of the contracts involved it has been agreed to delay the issue of the formal tender document until new ministers have had the opportunity to review the current plans and the strategy, to ensure best value.

Asylum: Children

Phil Woolas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Damian Green: The Government last issued a consultation paper regarding unaccompanied asylum seeking children in February 2007: 'Planning Better Outcomes and Support for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children'. A formal response was published in January 2008 entitled 'Better Outcomes: The Way Forward-Improving the Care of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children'.
	Although not pursuing a formal consultation, the UK Border Agency is in regular and frequent discussion with its partners on improvements to policy and process around dealing with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. For example, a number of children's charities and refugee groups have recently been asked to review proposed amendments to the Processing an Asylum Application from a Child instruction to reflect changes in policy to remove some unaccompanied children to their country of origin where adequate reception arrangements are in place. In circumstances like this, comments and recommendations from partners will be factored into the revised instruction rather than being the subject of a formal response to consultation.

Asylum: Detainees

Phil Woolas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what alternatives to the detention of families whose asylum applications have been rejected her Department is considering.

Damian Green: I recently announced a review into the detention of children for asylum purposes so it can be brought to an end. The terms of reference of the review included a requirement to consider how the detention of children for immigration purposes will be ended and how a new family removals model can be established which protects the welfare of children and ensures the return of those who have no right to be in the UK. This will involve options based on keeping families with children in the community and these are now being considered in draft form by the Departments concerned and by me.

Asylum: Housing

Phil Woolas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans her Department has to assess the market for new providers of asylum accommodation services for the purposes of achieving greater flexibility and value for money.

Damian Green: The current contracts which provide asylum accommodation services are due to expire during 2011. A programme to address the replacement of these services was initiated in July 2009. The programme has carried out a full and detailed analysis of the accommodation market, which has included 40 face to face meetings with prospective suppliers. This will help identify the potential for creating commercial solutions that will allow UKBA to achieve greater flexibility and value for money.

Asylum: Tamils

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Tamils have been granted  (a) asylum and  (b) indefinite leave to remain in the last five years.

Damian Green: UKBA does not hold information by ethnicity. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

British Nationality: War Crimes

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which types of offence were taken into consideration in the decision to refuse UK citizenship to persons on the grounds of involvement in war crimes in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 22 June 2010,  Official Report, column 144W.

Deportation: EC Nationals

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EEA nationals from each country were  (a) removed and  (b) advised to leave the country because (i) they did not possess (A) a valid identity card and (B) a passport card on (ii) they were a cause of an unreasonable burden on the social assistance system in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: holding answer 12 July 2010
	No EEA nationals have been removed or advised to leave the UK for not possessing a valid identity card or passport, or for being an unreasonable burden on the social assistance system.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the number of DNA matches made with the national DNA database since 4 December 2008 in respect of individuals whose DNA profiles would have been removed from the database under the provisions of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of S and Marper.

James Brokenshire: The judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of S and Marper did not specify a particular retention period for the DNA profiles of those arrested but not convicted of criminal offences.
	Therefore, it is not possible to make the estimate requested.

Entry Clearances

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 12 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 850-2W, on entry clearance, what the equivalent figures are for  (a) November and  (b) December 2009.

Damian Green: holding answer 12 July 2010
	The requested information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   (a) Tier one (general)  (b) Tier one (post study)  (d) Tier two (ICT)  (f) Tier four (General)  (f) Tier four (Child)  (g) Tier five youth mobility 
			  2009  IC  OOC  IC  OOC  IC  OOC  IC  OOC  IC  OOC  IC  OOC 
			 November 2,168 572 2,893 379 537 2,010 10,548 153 94 13,454 - 1,420 
			 December 2,196 536 2,449 314 517 2,018 11,287 294 61 20,734 - 998 
			  Key: IC = In-country grants of leave to remain. OOC = Out-of-country visas issued. 
		
	
	The table above is based on approved main applications only. This data is not provided under National Statistics protocols. It has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.

Hunting Act 2004

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to ensure that offences under the Hunting Act 2004 are recorded correctly under the National Standard for Incident Reporting.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 12 July 2010
	Offences under the Hunting Act 2004 are non-notifiable which means they are not required to be reported to the Home Office. Hunting is not a separate category within the national standard for incident reporting (NSIR). However the offences would be included under the 'Wildlife' category of the NSIR counting rules. The rules contain the following definition for the wildlife category:
	A report of an incident that involves wildlife. This category is designed to capture incidents and offences that fall short of notifiable crime.

Identity Cards

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many identity cards have been provided to people employed at  (a) Manchester Airport other than direct employees of Manchester Airport Group,  (b) London City Airport other than direct employees of London City Airport Group,  (c) her Department other than its direct employees and  (d) other Government departments other than their direct employees.

Damian Green: holding answer 8 July 2010
	Information held on the NIR does not include the individual's occupation or the details of their employer.

Identity Cards

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to  (a) fully reimburse and  (b) partly reimburse people who have purchased identity cards.

Damian Green: None. The coalition Government are committed to scrapping the ID card scheme and the National Identity Register. We aim to achieve that at the least possible cost to the taxpayer. Those few people who bought an ID card did so voluntarily and were warned that the scheme may be scrapped. In these circumstances, it is not right that the taxpayer should pick up the bill.

Illegal Immigrants

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the number of persons in the United Kingdom illegally resident in  (a) Weaver Vale constituency,  (b) Cheshire,  (c) the North West and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Damian Green: It is not possible to accurately quantify the number of illegal immigrants in the UK as some will deliberately evade immigration control to enter and stay in the country illegally.
	The wider immigration programme, contained in 'The Coalition: our programme for government', published on 20 May, includes a commitment to support e-Borders and reintroduce entry and exit checks.

Immigration: Chernobyl

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many breaches of immigration rules have been committed by people entering the UK under the Chernobyl Children's Project in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Records are not held on the number of breaches of immigration rules committed by people entering the UK under the Chernobyl Children's Project. Such information would only be possible by detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Maxim Bakiyev

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the status is of Maxim Bakiyev under UK law;
	(2)  what discussions she had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the granting of leave to remain in the UK to Maxim Bakiyev.

Damian Green: It is not Home Office policy to comment on individual cases.

Work Permits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued in 2009; and how much revenue her Department obtained as a result.

Damian Green: holding answer 8 July 2010
	In 2009, there were 9,985 work permits issued and the revenue generated was £883,300.
	The work permit scheme closed for new applications in November 2008 and was replaced by Tiers 2 and 5 of the Points Based System. Under these Tiers, licensed sponsors issue Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) not work permits. Sponsors pay UKBA a fee for each CoS they issue. In 2009, sponsors issued 54,630 Certificates of Sponsorship under Tier 2 and the total revenue was £11,429,100.

JUSTICE

Alternatives to Prison: Children

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will encourage the use of  (a) restorative justice and  (b) psychological support programmes as an alternative to the imprisonment of children.

Crispin Blunt: The Government are conducting a comprehensive assessment of sentencing policy with a view to introducing more effective sentencing and rehabilitation policies which will include youth sentencing. We intend to bring forward proposals on sentencing and the rehabilitation of offenders in the autumn. We expect these to include proposals to increase the use of restorative justice in both adult and youth sentencing policy.

Ammanford Magistrates Court

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has made an estimate of the number of people who will be resident 15 or more miles away from their nearest magistrates court as a result of the closure of the Ammanford and Llandovery magistrates courts.

Jonathan Djanogly: The impact of court closures on travelling distances and travelling time to courts will be evaluated fully during the consultation phase and the findings included in the full impact assessment that will be produced alongside the consultation responses.
	I must stress that no decision has yet been taken to close Ammanford or Llandovery magistrates courts and I encourage responses to the public consultation that is ongoing and which closes on 15 September.

Ammanford Magistrates Court

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases Ammanford magistrates court has heard since 2005.

Jonathan Djanogly: Ammanford magistrates court is located within the Dinefwr local justice area (LJA) and is the only court within the LJA currently hearing cases. Data on the number of completed cases in the Dinefwr LJA in the last three years are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Civil and family  Criminal  Means enquiries  Grand total 
			 2007-08 24 1520 8 1552 
			 2008-09 35 1412 0 1447 
			 2009-10 36 956 5 997 
		
	
	The other court in the Dinefwr LJA is Llandovery magistrates court, which is owned by the local authority and being used as a library. The formal closure of Llandovery is also being consulted on as part of the consultations on the provision of court services.
	I must stress that no decision has yet been taken to close Ammanford magistrates court and I encourage responses to the public consultation that is ongoing and which closes on 15 September.
	 Note:
	The data are not centrally available at LJA level before April 2007 and exclude Right to Representation Orders. The data come from an internal management system, are subject to our minimal levels of quality assurance and are based on the data currently available.

Ammanford Magistrates Court

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the running costs were for Ammanford magistrates court in each of the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The operating costs for Ammanford magistrates court in each of the last three years is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Period  Operating cost (£) 
			 2007-08 47,227.59 
			 2008-09 36,095.53 
			 2009-10 110,391.69 
		
	
	I must stress that no decision has yet been taken to close Ammanford magistrates court and I encourage responses to the public consultation that is ongoing and which closes on 15 September.

Animal Welfare: Convictions

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will commission research on cautions and convictions for offences in relation  (a) animal cruelty and  (b) child abuse.

Crispin Blunt: The administrative conviction data on animal cruelty offences and sexual offences against child victims is routinely collected and published as part of Ministry of Justice Criminal Statistics, however violent offences are not specified according to victim age. Further research is not currently planned on these topics.

Community Orders

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people who received a custodial sentence of six months or less in the last 12 months were convicted of  (a) violence against the person,  (b) sexual offences,  (c) burglary,  (d) robbery,  (e) theft and handling stolen goods,  (f) fraud and forgery,  (g) criminal damage,  (h) drug offences,  (i) motoring offences and  (j) other offences; and how many people who received a community sentence in the last 12 months were convicted of each of those types of offence.

Crispin Blunt: The available information is in the following table. The most recent 12 months for which data is available is 2008, data for 2009 will become available when 'Sentencing Statistics 2009' is published later in the year.
	
		
			  Community sentences and immediate custodial sentences of six months or less for ail offences, by offence type, 2008 
			   Custodial sentences  Community sentences  Total sentenced 
			 Violence against the person 4,742 15,610 41,442 
			 Sexual offences 285 1,370 5,140 
			 Burglary 3,563 9,401 23,651 
			 Robbery 317 2,832 8,495 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 18,515 40,785 110,348 
			 Fraud and forgery 2,149 5,772 19,924 
			 Criminal damage 564 4,194 9,574 
			 Drug offences 1,781 12,272 52,911 
			 Other (excluding motoring) indictable offences 5,207 9,315 39,802 
			 Indictable motoring offences 493 1,231 4,613 
			 Total indictable offences 37,616 102,782 315,900 
			 
			 Summary offences (excluding motoring) 14,083 65,687 493,943 
			 Summary motoring offences 6,377 21,702 552,221 
			 
			 All offences 58,076 190,171 1,362,064 
			  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 2. This data has been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. This data is presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe. 3. Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics-Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Court Utilisation Rate

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the court utilisation rate was for  (a) Beverley,  (b) Bridlington,  (c) Hull and  (d) Goole in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The courtroom utilisation rates for the last three years are provided in the following table. The information is not available centrally before April 2007. Courtroom utilisation is the time a courtroom is used, against the hours that a courtroom is available for use. Utilisation rates currently average 64% across the magistrates courts. The Government's aim is to increase courtroom utilisation in the magistrates courts to at least 80%.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Beverley  Bridlington  Hull  Goole 
			 2007-08 43.2 53.5 65.3 31.7 
			 2008-09 41 52.5 64.7 31.8 
			 2009-10 43.1 45.8 63.2 31.5 
		
	
	The data comes from an internal management system, are subject to our minimal levels of quality assurance and are based on the data currently available.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on savings (2010-11), under what budgetary headings the £325 million of savings allocated to his Department will be made.

Kenneth Clarke: The £325 million of additional MoJ savings can be broken down into the following headings:
	
		
			  Heading  Description  Saving (£ million) 
			 Discretionary Spend Further reducing spending in areas such as consultancy, travel, events and postage. 55 
			 Change and ICT Reviewing change programmes and ICT spend to ensure that only essential projects are taken forward. 72 
			 Recruitment Further tightening recruitment to all but the most essential operational posts. 46 
			 Capital Stopping capital projects, selling property assets and delivering the administrative estate and meeting prison capacity requirements more efficiently. This includes £25 million from stopping the project to build a dedicated juvenile prison on the Glen Parva site, and £37 million from deferring the new Birmingham magistrates court. 152

EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the cost to his Department of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations in the last 12 months.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The scope of this question can potentially include a variety of compliance obligations-ranging from compliance with general employment law and environmental regulations to costs arising from negotiating, implementing, and day to day administration of instruments within the Department's own policy remit.
	Work to comply with EU legislation is, in the main, conducted among all the other routine functions of my Department and it is not possible to disaggregate specifically all those costs associated directly with compliance with EU legislation. Where specific significant compliance costs from any EU legislation are anticipated for my Department or any other party affected by it then estimates of those are presented within an Impact Assessment and published on the Department's website. The Impact Assessments that accompany Explanatory Memoranda for Parliament are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Magistrates Courts

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has undertaken research into any link between the location of magistrates courts and defendants and witnesses not attending hearings.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice has not carried out any such research. In 2004 the National Audit Office published a report: "Facing Justice Tackling defendants' non-attendance at court" on the issues surrounding defendant non attendance.

Magistrates Courts: Bradford

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an estimate of the effects on the  (a) cost and  (b) duration of journeys between Keighley police station and court of the merging of Bradford magistrates court and Bingly magistrates court.

Jonathan Djanogly: An initial impact assessment has been produced for the consultations. The impacts, costs and benefits of the proposed court closures and bench mergers will be considered more fully during the consultation phase and a full impact assessment will be produced alongside the consultation responses.

Magistrates Courts: Closures

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will hold discussions with Nottinghamshire police on the opportunity cost in police time of closing Worksop and Retford magistrates court.

Jonathan Djanogly: The regional director for Her Majesty's Courts Service in the Midlands wrote to Nottinghamshire police on 23 June to inform them of the consultation proposals and extended an invitation to meet with him to discuss them. No meeting has yet taken place.

Magistrates Courts: Yorkshire and the Humber

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the average annual rate of non-attendance by  (a) defendants and  (b) witnesses in criminal cases in each magistrates court in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Jonathan Djanogly: In the first quarter of 2010, there were 4,436 criminal trials recorded in the magistrates courts in the Humber and Yorkshire area. Of which 3% of recorded trials were ineffective or cracked due to non-attendance of defendants and 5% of recorded trials in were ineffective or cracked due to non-attendance of witnesses.
	Table 1 as follows, shows the rate of ineffective or cracked trials due to non-attendance for defendants and witnesses in recorded criminal trials by each magistrate court in Yorkshire and the Humber, in the first quarter of 2010.
	In November 2009, an estimated 12% of expected witnesses did not attend the magistrates courts hearings in Yorkshire and the Humber. This information is based on the witness monitoring survey, which is conducted on a biannual basis, over a two week period in June and November of each year. Estimates of non-attendance of witnesses for all criminal cases, is not available at magistrate court level.
	
		
			  Table 1. Non-attendance of defendants and witnesses in Criminal trials recorded in the magistrates courts, January 2010 to March 2010- The Humber and Yorkshire 
			  HMCS  Number of recorded trials where the defendant is absent  Percentage of the trials listed where the defendant is absent  Number of recorded trails where the witness is absent  Percentage of the cases where the witness is absent  Total number of trials 
			 The Humber and Yorkshire 129 3 201 5 4,436 
			  Humberside  
			 Beverley 2 5 1 2 42 
			 Bridlington 0 0 1 4 26 
			 Goole 0 0 0 0 23 
			 Grimsby 4 3 1 1 138 
			 Hull and Holderness 3 2 7 3 232 
			 Scunthorpe 3 3 7 7 99 
			  North Yorkshire  
			 Harrogate 0 0 1 2 60 
			 Northallerton 1 2 1 2 56 
			 Scarborough 1 2 2 3 66 
			 Selby 0 0 1 2 65 
			 Skipton 0 0 2 8 26 
			 York 1 1 2 2 102 
			  South Yorkshire  
			 Barnsley 3 2 3 2 173 
			 Doncaster 8 3 11 4 273 
			 Rotherham 5 2 4 2 231 
			 Sheffield 17 3 17 3 495 
			  West Yorkshire  
			 Bingley 9 4 8 3 236 
			 Bradford 9 2 29 8 382 
			 Batley and Dewsbury 1 1 10 8 126 
			 Calderdale 9 3 11 4 309 
			 Huddersfield 9 5 8 5 166 
			 Leeds 32 21 63 8 781 
			 Pontefract 7 4 7 5 149 
			 Wakefield 5 3 4 2 180 
			  Notes: (1) The figures correspond to trials only and exclude all non-attendance when trials did not occur. (2) The reasons for ineffective trial due to defendant being absent include the following reasons: (a) Defendant absent-did not proceed in absence (judicial discretion) (b) Defendant ill or otherwise unfit to proceed (c) Defendant not produced by PECS (d) Defendant absent-unable to proceed as Defendant not notified of place and time of hearing (3) Witnesses is defined as both professional, police and other witnesses for both the defence and prosecution  Source: Trials, HM courts service Performance Database (OPT)

Magistrates Courts: Yorkshire and the Humber

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the geographical catchment area is of each magistrates court in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Jonathan Djanogly: Magistrates courts have a national jurisdiction, but the guiding principle is that cases are heard at a magistrates court for the local justice area in which (i) the offence is alleged to have been committed or where the subject of complaint originated or (ii) the person charged with the offence resides or where the person subject of the complaint resides or has their principal place of business. Local justice areas were established by order made by the Lord Chancellor under section 8 of the Courts Act 2003.
	On 23 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 15-16WS, the Government announced proposals to modernise and improve the use of courts in England and Wales including proposals in respect of Humber and Yorkshire. The consultation which includes proposals for changes to some local justice areas will close on 15 September 2010.

Magistrates Courts: Yorkshire and the Humber

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his latest estimate is of the average annual number of  (a) criminal cases,  (b) individual hearings in criminal cases and  (c) non-criminal cases handled by each magistrates court in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Jonathan Djanogly: In the first quarter of 2010, there were 69,219 completed court proceedings in the magistrates courts in Yorkshire and the Humber. Of these cases 46,297 proceeding were criminal cases and 22,929 were non-criminal cases dealt with by the magistrates courts.
	In March 2010, on average there was an estimated 2.01 hearings for defendants dealt with in Yorkshire and the Humber magistrates courts in criminal proceedings, excluding defendants committed or sent for trial at the Crown court.
	Table 1 provides the number of criminal and non-criminal proceedings handled by each magistrates court in Yorkshire and the Humber, in the first quarter of 2010.
	
		
			  Table 1: Completed proceedings, Yorkshire and the Humber, Q1 2010 
			  Magistrates courts  Criminal proceedings  Percentage of the criminal proceedings  Non-criminal proceedings( 1)  Percentage of the non-criminal proceedings  Total number of completed proceedings 
			 Humber and Yorkshire 46,297 67 22,922 33 69,219 
			   
			  Humberside  
			 Beverley 673 77 204 23 877 
			 Bridlington 520 73 192 27 712 
			 Goole 461 84 86 16 547 
			 Grimsby 1,707 70 722 30 2,429 
			 Hull and Holderness 3,351 62 2,088 38 5,439 
			 Scunthorpe 1,525 75 507 25 2,032 
			   
			  North Yorkshire( 2)  
			 Harrogate 810 63 475 37 1,285 
			 Northallerton 971 76 311 24 1,282 
			 Scarborough 1,064 63 622 37 1,686 
			 Selby 421 77 129 23 550 
			 Skipton 355 83 72 17 427 
			 York 942 52 859 48 1,801 
			   
			  South Yorkshire( 2)  
			 Barnsley 1,857 63 1,109 37 2,966 
			 Doncaster 2,816 65 1,528 35 4,344 
			 Rotherham 1,759 64 978 36 2,737 
			 Sheffield 4,539 67 2,269 33 6,808 
			   
			  West Yorkshire( 2)  
			 Bingley 1,136 68 544 32 1,680 
			 Bradford 3,524 60 2,375 40 5,899 
			 Batley and Dewsbury 1,695 70 732 30 2,427 
			 Calderdale 2,622 74 905 26 3,527 
			 Huddersfield 1,911 68 902 32 2,813 
			 Leeds 7,268 65 3,860 35 11,128 
			 Pontefract 1,974 73 715 27 2,689 
			 Wakefield 2,396 76 738 24 3,134 
			 (1) Non-criminal cases include civil and family, means inquiries, representation orders and special jurisdiction. (2) Non-criminal cases exclude special jurisdiction.  Source: Completed Proceedings, Business Information Division, HM Court Service performance Database ('OPT') 
		
	
	Table 2 provides the average number of hearings for defendants dealt for each magistrates court. Estimates of average number of hearings are based on the Time Interval Survey data for March 2010. The margin of error is a measure of the precision of a result based on a sample survey. The true value of the average number of hearings is likely to fall within a range defined as plus or minus the margin of error.
	
		
			  Table 2: Average number of hearings by court, Yorkshire and the Humber, March 2010 
			  Magistrates court  Estimated average number of hearings per defendant  Margin of error (-/+ number of hearings( 1) 
			 Humber and Yorkshire 2.01 0.06 
			
			  Humberside   
			 Beverley 1.30 0.29 
			 Bridlington 1.65 0.45 
			 Goole 2.43 0.79 
			 Grimsby 2.40 0.40 
			 Hull and Holderness 1.52 0.12 
			 Scunthorpe 2.60 0.65 
			
			  North Yorkshire   
			 Harrogate 1.81 0.22 
			 Northallerton 1.96 0.53 
			 Scarborough 2.16 0.49 
			 Selby 1.92 0.84 
			 Skipton 1.53 0.56 
			 York 2.21 0.32 
			
			  South Yorkshire   
			 Barnsley 1.99 0.27 
			 Doncaster 1.85 0.24 
			 Rotherham 1.78 0.18 
			 Sheffield 1.82 0.16 
			
			  West Yorkshire   
			 Bingley 3.72 1.12 
			 Bradford 2.70 0.44 
			 Batley and Dewsbury 2.09 0.36 
			 Calderdale 1.80 0.26 
			 Huddersfield 2.21 0.46 
			 Leeds 2.20 0.16 
			 Pontefract 1.78 0.22 
			 Wakefield 2.16 0.29 
			 (1) The margin of error is a measure of the precision of a result based on a sample survey. The true value is likely to fall within the range of the sample result +/- the margin of error.  Notes: 1.The Time Intervals Survey is run in March, June, September and December of each year. 2. All defendants include all adults and youths.  Source: The time Interval Survey

Prisoners: Breach of Contract

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of the prison population are  (a) fathers and  (b) mothers imprisoned for non-payment of child maintenance.

Crispin Blunt: As at 31 May 2010 there were six males and no females in prison custody for non-payment of child maintenance. The total prison population was 85,018 at 31 May 2010.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Rape: Greater London

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2010,  Official Report, column 615W, on rape: Greater London, how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions for offences related to (i) violence against the person, (ii) common assault, (iii) domestic violence and (iv) criminal damage there were in Greater London in each year since 2005.

Crispin Blunt: The Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, the Court Proceedings Database does not include the circumstances of each case or hold specific information on offences beyond descriptions provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought. It is not possible to separately identify domestic violence offences from other offences of assault and violence against the person.
	Information on the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts in the Greater London police force area, for offences of violence against the person, common assault, and criminal damage, from 2005 to 2008 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned for publication on 21 October 2010.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts in the Greater London police force area( 1)  for selected offences, from 2005 - 08( 2,)( )( 3) 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Violence against the person 10,341 6,103 10,306 6,202 9,577 6,033 10,762 6,824 
			 Common assault 7,175 4,086 8,589 5,140 8,321 5,351 8,921 5,948 
			 Criminal damage 1,864 1,243 1,841 1,184 1,846 1,221 1,056 782 
			 Total 19,380 11,432 20,736 12,526 19,744 12,605 20,739 13,554 
			 (1) Includes the City of London and Metropolitan police force areas. (2) The figures given relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental ICT

Graham Evans: To ask the Attorney-General how much  (a) the Law Officers' Departments and  (b) their agency spent on information and communication technology in each year since 1997.

Dominic Grieve: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  Cost (£) 
			   SFO( 1)  NFA  T sol( 2) 
			 1997-98 500,412 - - 
			 1998-99 863,250 - 1,204,000 
			 1999-2000 813,996 - 1,521,000 
			 2000-01 1,416,051 - 1,554,000 
			 2001-02 2,185,314 - 1,240,000 
			 2002-03 2,624,741 - 2,004,000 
			 2003-04 2,747,713 - 2,675,000 
			 2004-05 2,781,058 - 2,617,000 
			 2005-06 2,409,130 - 2,216,000 
			 2006-07 1,966,464 - 2,897,000 
			 2007-08 1,255,531 - 1,703,000 
			 2008-09 2,814,558 30,780 2,174,000 
			 2009-10 6,286,491 34,572 3,008,000 
			 (1) The year 2009-2010 is significantly higher due to a tactical capital investment to reinvigorate the SFO's case management system. (2) The data cover spend by the Treasury Solicitor's Department, Attorney-General's office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (from mid 2001 onwards). The figures prior to 1998-99 are not retained on the Department's accounting system, and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	The following tables show the amounts for spent by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Service (RCPO)-who merged with the CPS on 1 January 2010. The data are taken from the financial management system and are only available for 2003-04 onwards. RCPO expenditure for 2009-10 is included in the CPS totals for that year. The figures also include equipment purchased that has been capitalised.
	
		
			  CPS expenditure 
			   £ million 
			  IT  
			 2003-04 29.739 
			 2004-05 43.125 
			 2005-06 50.305 
			 2006-07 52.111 
			 2007-08 52.479 
			 2008-09 52.068 
			 2009-10 49.130 
			   
			  Telephone services  
			 2003-04 5.342 
			 2004-05 5.818 
			 2005-06 6.479 
			 2006-07 6.068 
			 2007-08 6.759 
			 2008-09 6.902 
			 2009-10 6.669 
		
	
	
		
			  RCPO expenditure 
			   £ million 
			  IT  
			 2005-06 1.684 
			 2006-07 2.310 
			 2007-08 1.963 
			 2008-09 3.604 
			 2009-10 2.418 
			   
			  Telephone services  
			 2005-06 0.005 
			 2006-07 0.029 
			 2007-08 0.017 
			 2008-09 0.088 
			 2009-10 0.049 
		
	
	The 2009-10 figures are subject to audit.

Departmental Lighting

Graham Evans: To ask the Attorney-General how much  (a) the Law Officers' Departments and  (b) their agency spent on light bulbs in each year since 1997.

Dominic Grieve: The expenditure on light bulbs by the Law Officer's Departments is not recorded separately from other maintenance spending and this information could therefore be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Graham Evans: To ask the Attorney-General how much  (a) the Law Officers' Departments and  (b) their agency spent on hospitality in each year since 1997.

Dominic Grieve: Spending recorded under hospitality by the Law Officers Departments since 1997 is outlined in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Treasury Solicitors Department( 1)  Serious Fraud Office  National Fraud Authority( 2)  Crown Prosecution Service( 3) 
			 1996-97 - 16,326 - - 
			 1997-98 - 14,650 - - 
			 1998-99 3,985 13,869 - - 
			 1999-2000 5,609 12,126 - - 
			 2000-01 5,593 18,984 - - 
			 2001-02 4,232 20,287 - - 
			 2002-03 6,107 18,385 - - 
			 2003-04 7,183 18,142 - 41,695 
			 2004-05 13,271 31,452 - 16,780 
			 2005-06 7,700 23,005 - 41,877 
			 2006-07 10,168 42,210 - 24,966 
			 2007-08 15,259 41,362 - 29,758 
			 2008-09 9,659 36,968 4,000 33,353 
			 2009-10 19,046 16,326 4,916 29,255 
			 (1) Tsol has financial responsibility for the Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (from 2002). It is not possible to provide the information for the financial years 1996-97 and 1997-98 without incurring a disproportionate cost.  (2) The NFA came into operation in 2008.  (3) The CPS can provide financial data only from 2003-04 onwards. Expenditure information is taken from the CPS finance system and a comprehensive and full validation check of all transactions has not been undertaken.

Departmental Security

Graham Evans: To ask the Attorney-General how much  (a) the Law Officers' Departments and  (b) their agency spent on security in each year since 1997.

Dominic Grieve: The information requested is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Cost (£) 
			   SFO  CPS( 1)  Tsol( 2) 
			 1997-98 148,835 - - 
			 1998-99 115,812 - 207,000 
			 1999-2000 142,472 - 234,000 
			 2000-01 120,890 - 281,000 
			 2001-02 203,020 - 338,000 
			 2002-03 130,998 - 303,000 
			 2003-04 146,762 - 338,000 
			 2004-05 122,429 - 357,000 
			 2005-06 145,588 62,000 337,000 
			 2006-07 151,298 70,000 188,000 
			 2007-08 160,367 31,000 334,000 
			 2008-09 164,774 118,000 251,000 
			 2009-10 197,059 123,000 261,000 
			 (1) The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold full central records of how much has been spent on security throughout the service for the years in question. The information sought could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. However, we are able to provide the costs of security systems for three CPS headquarters buildings and the security costs for the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Service (RCPO), who merged with CPS on the 1 January 2010. (2) The figures prior to 1998-99 are not retained on the Department's accounting system, and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. The data provided also covers the Attorney-Generals' office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (from mid-2001). 
		
	
	The National Fraud Authority shared premises with HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate in 2008-09 and all security was provided by the Inspectorate.
	The NFA currently collocates with the Serious Fraud Office in its office at Gray's Inn Road and all security is provided by the SFO's as part of the sub-lease agreement.

Departmental Stationary

Graham Evans: To ask the Attorney-General how much  (a) the Law Officers' Departments and  (b) their agency spent on stationery in each year since 1997.

Dominic Grieve: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Cost (£) 
			   NFA( 1)  SFO  CPS( 2)  Tsol( 3) 
			 1997-98 - 59,928 - n/a 
			 1998-99 - 67,819 - 116,900 
			 1999-2000 - 90,539 - 148,800 
			 2000-01 - 83,237 - 149,900 
			 2001-02 - 138,156 - 207,600 
			 2002-03 - 121,995 - 215,700 
			 2003-04 - 121,966 1,555,000 231,200 
			 2004-05 - 137,338 1,917,000 275,000 
			 2005-06 - 180,025 2,878,000 300,700 
			 2006-07 - 177,746 2,750,000 299,300 
			 2007-08 - 184,309 2,668,000 449,800 
			 2008-09 2,383 216,732 2,733,000 343,100 
			 2009-10 7,429 142,685 3,202,000 256,300 
			 (1) The increase in cost in 2009-10 is relative to increased staff numbers during the same period and full year impact of NFA operations. (2) The data figures from 05-06 include costs for the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Service (RCPO) who merged with the CPS on 1 January 2010. The data are taken from the Financial Management System and is only available for 2003-04 onwards. Data for earlier years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. The data for 2009-10 is subject to audit checks. (3) The data also include the Attorney-General's office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (from mid 2001). The figures prior to 1998-99 are not retained on the Department's accounting system, and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Law Officers' Departments

David Anderson: To ask the Attorney-General which regulations of the Law Officers' Departments are under review; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Grieve: None.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish a table showing the cost per tonne of carbon emissions reduced by  (a) cavity wall insulation,  (b) technologies benefiting from feed-in tariffs and  (c) technologies under consideration for the renewable heat incentive.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 12 July 2010
	The analysis that underpins various Government policies to reduce carbon emissions includes an assessment of carbon cost-effectiveness(1). Carbon cost-effectiveness analysis provides an estimate of the net social cost per tonne of CO2 reduction resulting from a policy.
	In the last Administration's March strategy on household energy management it was estimated that cavity wall insulation has a carbon cost of £48/tCO2 (it saves money rather than costs money). Further detail can be found in Annex 2 of the Initial Assessment of Impacts at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/consumers/saving_energy/hem/hem.aspx
	For the recently introduced Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme, the estimated average carbon cost is in the region of £460/tCO2, estimated over the period 2010-30. Further detail can be found on page 27 of the published Impact Assessment at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/elec_financial/elec_financial.aspx
	However, as the impact assessment makes clear, there are benefits of the policy (such as community engagement) that are not monetised and are therefore not included in this figure.
	The calculation of the "£/tCO2" metric needs to be caveated because it relies on forecasts of the specific mix of low carbon energy (technology type and scale) that will be incentivised under FITs and on projected technology costs through time which in reality will be uncertain.
	Similarly the projected carbon costs effectiveness of renewable heat measures published in the Renewable Heat Incentive Consultation Impact Assessment is estimated at £57/tCO2 for measures installed in the traded sector and £75/tCO2 for measures in the non-traded sector. These values represent average lifetime (2010-45) cost effectiveness across different range of measures and fossil displacement assumptions. Further detail can be found on page 20 of the published Impact Assessment at:
	http://decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/rhi/rhi.aspx
	It should be noted that the estimated carbon cost effectiveness values are not directly comparable due to methodological differences in the underlying calculation. However the values do highlight the general ranking/impact of the different options.
	(1) Further detail on the use of the climate change policy cost-effectiveness indicator and methodology can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/analysts_group/cc_indicator/cc_indicator.aspx

Carbon Emissions

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons the emissions factor applied to electricity under the Standard Assessment Procedure rating system for dwellings assumes a projected level of decarbonisation of five years hence.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 12 July 2010
	New versions of the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) are published to support planned amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations (Conservation of fuel and power) for England and Wales. In 2006 the amendment to Part L was expected to last for five years. As SAP is frozen for the period the amendment is in force it was, therefore, necessary to set the carbon dioxide emission factor for electricity based on a projected level of decarbonisation for five years. Government's decarbonisation projections, based on an average value, were used for this purpose. The same procedure was used to determine the factor listed in SAP 2009.

Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to businesses of participation in the CRC Energy Efficiency scheme.

Gregory Barker: The final impact assessment on the CRC Energy Efficiency scheme published on 19 January 2010 by the previous Administration estimated the average annual cost for all participants to be £34 million. Separate estimations of the costs for business were published on a net present value basis and are set out in the impact assessment which can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/1_20100120102757_e_@@_crcconsia.pdf

Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to bring forward proposals to extend the criteria for steps taken by businesses to improve their energy efficiency to be recognised under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Gregory Barker: We have no current plans to change the CRC Energy Efficiency scheme legislation enacted in the last Parliament. We are however keeping the operation of the scheme under active review to ensure that it incentivises energy efficiency improvements among participants and the level of regulation and incentives are proportionate.

Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the effects on numbers of jobs of participation by businesses in the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Gregory Barker: There are no estimates of the effects of participation by businesses in the CRC scheme on numbers of jobs. However, by 2020 we estimate that the scheme will save participants around £1 billion per year through cost effective energy efficiency measures. This money could be used to sustain or create jobs but that will be a decision for participants. In addition the increased demand for energy efficiency advice and installation of equipment together with wider Government energy efficiency measures will stimulate opportunities the energy efficiency sector.
	Increasing the UK's energy efficiency and putting us on a low carbon path will improve UK competiveness, enabling organisations to prosper in a global market place.

Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of the effects of the requirements of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme on small companies participating in that scheme.

Gregory Barker: The final impact assessment on the CRC Energy Efficiency scheme published on 19( )January 2010 by the previous Administration contained a small firms impact test. The impact test concluded that, based on current energy prices, organisations with annual electricity bills below around £0.75 million were unlikely to meet the scheme's 6,000 MWh qualification threshold. As such, smaller organisations below this threshold are exempt from participation in the scheme.
	There may be organisations with large energy bills and few employees which are subject the scheme. The impact assessment noted that these organisations are likely to benefit from participation in the scheme as they will save money on energy bills by implementing energy efficiency measures.

Energy Conservation: Housing

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of homes which would have to be retro-fitted with energy saving materials and equipment each year in order to meet the relevant targets set for 2050.

Gregory Barker: While no targets have been set for household energy saving for 2050, it is clear that we will need wholesale and radical changes to the energy performance of our housing stock in future. The new Green Deal initiative will help us achieve, or exceed, the binding targets for carbon reductions set during the previous Administration and will set us on the path for the long-term changes that are needed.
	Under the Green Deal we will introduce a new finance package to make it as easy and attractive as possible for householders to lag their lofts, fill wall cavities, and take further steps to reduce their use of energy in the home. Households will be able to install not only the basic cavity and loft insulation measures, but go further to provide comprehensive packages for households that can deliver real energy, money and carbon savings.
	In addition, the extension to the carbon emissions reduction target (CERT), which was announced recently and is expected to deliver insulation to 3.5 million households between April 2011 and December 2012, will ensure a rapid and significant increase in the rate at which we insulate homes over the next couple of years.

Energy: Subsidies

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2010,  Official Report, column 56W, on energy: subsidies, which official in his Department is responsible for global energy subsidy reform policy.

Gregory Barker: Work by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on global energy subsidies is led from within its International Energy Security team. The head of this team is Chris Barton.

Energy: Subsidies

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on subsidies for solar power production in each year since 1997.

Charles Hendry: The Department and its predecessors and its non-departmental public bodies have spent £102,528,791.00 on subsidies for solar power through the (i) Clear Skies (ii) Major PV Demonstration and (iii) Low Carbon Buildings programme (LCBP). The breakdown of this sum is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Clear Skies  Major PV Demo  p rogramme  LCBP-1  LCBP-2  T otal 
			 2002-03 - 4,340,584 - - 4,340,584 
			 2003-04 1,357,593 6,750,900 - - 8,108,493 
			 2004-5 2,130,115 5,757,572 - - 7,887,687 
			 2005-06 1,030,088 6,927,900 - - 7,959,988 
			 2006-07 178,000 2,365,624 2,477,093 n/a 5,020,717 
			 2007-08 - - 3,069,958 1,585,302 4,655,260 
			 2008-09 - - 3,154,183 8,271,911 11,426,094 
			 2009-10 - - 6,538,500 15,431,763 21,970,263 
			 2010-11 - - 3,394,003 27,765,702 31,159,705 
			 Total 4,695,796 26,142,582 18,633,737 53,054,678 102,528,791

Natural Gas: Security

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what work his Department has commissioned from consultants on the security of gas supply in the last three years.

Charles Hendry: I am today placing in the Libraries of the House copies of three reports for my Department by Pöyry Energy Consulting on aspects of security of gas supply. They concern:
	"GB Gas Security of Supply & Options for Improvement" (March 2010);
	"Security of Gas Supply: European Scenarios, Policy Drivers and Impact on GB" (June 2010);
	"Global Gas and LNG Markets & GB's Security of Supply" (June 2010).
	These paint a broadly benign picture of the outlook for security of gas supply into Great Britain in the years ahead. In a central scenario, with falling gas demand in the UK and where central assumptions on gas supply and demand in the rest of the world are met, GB's gas market is robust to a wide range of shocks. Many such scenarios would not require voluntary gas supply interruptions or lead to gas supply shortages.
	However, the outlook is not risk-free. The reports indicate the following conclusions:
	demand levels for gas are important: whereas the GB gas market is robust to a wide range of shocks provided that gas demand is falling over time (largely driven by the promotion of energy efficiency), in circumstances where UK or EU gas demand is higher than expected, the GB gas market becomes more vulnerable;
	while the risks of "voluntary" gas supply interruptions, and of gas supply shortages, are low, they are not negligible: there are potential scenarios, in the not-too-distant future, where voluntary interruptions would be required;
	even in those scenarios where gas supply is fully maintained, i.e. without voluntary gas supply interruptions or gas supply shortages, the wholesale gas price in the GB market could reach very high levels: Pöyry identify circumstances where the wholesale price could increase to 90 - 220 p/therm.
	Ofgem's work on "Project Discovery" has also indicated that there are scenarios where the security of our gas supply could be severely tested.
	It is important, in the interests of GB gas consumers, that, so far as feasible, these risks are managed. This reinforces the national need for additional gas supply infrastructure. There may also be a case for adjustment to the regulatory framework, to improve gas market operation.
	The coalition agreement commits the Government to ensuring that our energy markets deliver security of supply. We shall take full account of the present reports in our current consideration of potential legislative measures for inclusion in the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill.
	My right hon. Friend the Minister for Communities and Local Government has announced the Government's policy on planning reform, including completion of the process for making the energy national policy statements-29 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 34-36WS. I shall take full account of the present reports, and of other evidence including consultation responses and the report on the draft National Policy Statements by the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee, in preparing the Government's assessment of the national need for additional gas supply infrastructure.

Nuclear Power Installations

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will review whether the provisions of the Nuclear Installations (Excepted Matter) Regulations 1978 remain relevant; and what his policy is on undertaking such reviews of regulations covering civil nuclear installations.

Charles Hendry: The Nuclear Installations (Excepted Matter) Regulations 1978 give effect to the exclusion of certain specified quantities and forms of nuclear substances (in particular, reprocessed uranium and small quantities of nuclear substances outside a nuclear installation) from the Paris convention on third party nuclear liability. The exclusions were adopted in 1977 by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Steering Committee under article 1(b) of the Paris convention in view of the small risks posed by the nuclear substances concerned.
	Where changes are made in relation to the Paris convention my policy is to review the legislation giving effect to the convention. Significant changes to the Paris convention were agreed in 2004 and the exclusion for small quantities of nuclear substances outside a nuclear installation was updated in 2007. We are currently working on amendments to our legislation, in particular the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, to reflect these changes. We intend to consult on the proposed changes later this year.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to encourage the take-up of renewable heating systems.

Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to an ambitious agenda on renewable heat. Analysis by DECC has suggested that under one scenario in which the UK meets its target for 15% of total energy to come from renewable sources by 2020, around 12% of UK heat demand could be met by renewable heat. As of 2007 only around 1.1 % of UK heat demand was met from renewable sources.
	The Government are therefore committed to tackling the financial and non-financial barriers faced by the renewable heat sector. In particular we are currently looking closely at the renewable heat incentive (RHI) proposals. We will look to make an announcement on the future of the proposed RHI scheme as soon as possible.

TREASURY

Public Sector Pensions

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of public sector pensions in the next 25 years.

Danny Alexander: Gross Government expenditure on centrally administered public service pensions was £22.5 billion in 2008-09 and is expected to rise to £32.9 billion in 2015-16. These figures were published by the Office of Budget Responsibility in 'Budget 2010-The Economy & Public Finances-Supplementary Material'.
	For the longer term, table 5.1, of the Office for Budget Responsibility's pre-Budget Forecast shows projected gross expenditure for all unfunded public service pension schemes remains stable as a share of GDP at around 2%.

Economic Growth

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the proposals in the June 2010 Budget intended to increase economic growth; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The Government have received representations on a range of proposals to increase economic growth. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer, other Treasury Ministers, including myself, and officials have held meetings with various businesses, and representative bodies, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Economic Growth

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to stimulate economic growth.

Justine Greening: The Budget set out a plan to rebuild the British economy, creating the conditions for sustainable economic growth.
	Tackling the fiscal deficit is fundamental to this-giving the private sector the confidence that borrowing will be brought under control.
	Also key is the action the Government have taken to restore the UK's competitiveness, including taking the first steps in creating the most competitive corporate tax system in the G20.

Economic Growth

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the recent growth projections of the UK economy by the International Monetary Fund in its World Economic Outlook; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The IMF's forecasts are broadly in line with the Budget forecasts produced by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility.

Defence Manufacturing Sector

Mark Menzies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the contribution to the economy of the defence manufacturing sector; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: The UK Government value the important contribution of the defence manufacturing sector to the British armed forces and to the British economy. The companies that supply the Ministry of Defence have been, and will remain, a crucial factor in ensuring that we can provide our armed forces with the battle-winning capabilities they require, both for current operations and also for the future. I recognise however that this is a difficult time for many areas of the economy and we are committed to working closely with industry as they meet the challenges ahead.
	As my hon. Friend is no doubt aware, this Government have instigated a Strategic Defence and Security Review. This will provide a coherent long-term approach to security but it will also require some tough choices in deciding what defence capabilities we buy in the future. As part of that review, we will of course consider the contribution to the economy of the defence manufacturing sector and consult a wide range of stakeholders as appropriate, including industry.

Government Borrowing

Bob Blackman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with his G20 counterparts on efforts to reduce levels of Government borrowing.

Mark Hoban: The Chancellor enjoyed productive discussions with G20 colleagues in both South Korea and Canada. The agreements reached at those meetings are published in the respective communiqués.
	The action that the Government are taking to reduce borrowing is in line with European and international agreement for the need for consolidation. The G20 communiqué signed in South Korea made clear that:
	"those countries with serious fiscal challenges need to accelerate the pace of consolidation".

Budget Implications

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of employment of implementation of the measures proposed in the June 2010 Budget.

Mark Hoban: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has published its assessment of economic prospects taking into account measures in the Budget. The OBR forecasts that employment will rise, reaching 30.1 million by 2015.
	Reducing the deficit will mitigate risks to the recovery; create the conditions needed for growth and enable mortgage rates to be kept lower.
	The Government are committed to supporting private sector job creation-cutting corporation tax and raising the employer National Insurance threshold to support the recovery.

Economic Growth: East Midlands

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to support economic growth in the East Midlands.

David Gauke: To support private sector enterprise throughout the UK and ensure all parts benefit from sustainable economic growth Government will:
	use the National Insurance system to reduce the costs to new businesses of employing staff in all parts of the UK outside of London, south east and east of England;
	establish a £1 billion Regional Growth Fund to support strategic, growth focused investment in the English regions; and
	publish a White Paper later in the summer on a new approach to sub-national growth, including Local Enterprise Partnerships, local incentives and more powers for major cities.

Capital Projects

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether public opinion on capital projects is taken into account by his Department in deciding whether to authorise funding for such projects.

Danny Alexander: Where approval from the Treasury is required for Government Departments to undertake projects, the case for the project is considered under the standard guidance for business cases in central Government available at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/data_greenbook_business.htm
	This may as appropriate include an assessment of public opinion.
	In addition, the Government are undertaking a wide-ranging public engagement programme as part of the spending review. The most promising ideas from this will be fed into the decision-making process.

Departmental Regulation

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of his Department's regulations are under review; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: In the Budget the Government announced plans for reducing the regulatory burdens on business, including the introduction of a one-in, one-out system for new regulations and a fundamental review of all regulation inherited from the previous Government scheduled for introduction over the coming year. These regulations will not be implemented until they have been reviewed and re-agreed by the Reducing Regulation Cabinet Committee.
	The Your Freedom website, launched by the Deputy Prime Minister on 1 July 2010, will also give members of the public the opportunity to suggest existing regulations for removal, in order to reduce the burden on business.
	The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 are currently under review by HM Treasury following a "call for evidence" undertaken last year.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Alan Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he takes of the health of consumers of alcohol as a factor in determining the application of taxes and duties on alcohol.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury receives representations from the Department of Health and from various health groups in advance of the Budget. The Chancellor gives due consideration to these in reaching his decision.
	The Budget announced that the Government would review alcohol taxation and pricing to ensure they tackle problem drinking without unfairly penalising responsible drinkers, pubs or important local industries.

Green Investment Bank: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding for the Green Investment Bank will be drawn from the  (a) public purse and  (b) private sector.

Justine Greening: The Government are considering a wide range of options for the scope and structure of the Green Investment Bank and will put forward detailed proposals following the spending review.

Poverty: Children

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the combined effect of the proposed public spending limits and changes in taxation and benefit measures in the 2010 Budget on  (a) household income levels per income decile of the population measures and  (b) relative child poverty levels in (i) Glasgow North East constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland, (iv) England, (v) Wales, (vi) Northern Ireland and (vii) the United Kingdom in fiscal years (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13, (C) 2013-14, (D) 2014-15 and (E) 2015-16.

Justine Greening: Budget 2010 announced various changes to taxation and benefits, and Annex A set out the impact of these changes on households. It also set out the overall path for the public finances to 2015-16.
	However, it is not possible to analyse the combined effect of the proposed public spending limits and tax and benefit measures as expenditure limits have not yet been set for Departments and for the devolved administrations. In addition to these, the spending review will also announce plans for any further savings and reforms in significant elements of AME, including social security, tax credits and public service pensions.
	The Government set out in their document "The Spending Review Framework" that they will:
	"look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions." (2.4, page 7).

Poverty: Children

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the combined effect of the public spending measures in the 2010 Budget on the level of  (a) household income per income decile of the population and  (b) relative child poverty levels in (i) Glasgow North East constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland, (iv) England, (v) Wales, (vi) Northern Ireland and (vii) the United Kingdom in fiscal years (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13, (C) 2013-14, (D) 2014-15 and (E) 2015-16.

Justine Greening: Budget 2010 announced various changes to taxation and benefits, and Annex A set out the impact of these changes on households. It also set out the overall path for the public finances to 2015-16.
	However, it is not possible to analyse the combined effect of the proposed public spending measures as expenditure limits have not yet been set for Departments and for the devolved administrations. In addition to these, the spending review will also announce plans for any further savings and reforms in significant elements of AME, including social security, tax credits and public service pensions.
	The Government set out in their document "The Spending Review Framework" that they will:
	"look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions." (2.4, page 7).

Public Expenditure: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on savings (2010-11), whether changes have been made to the Barnett consequentials for Wales since 26 May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: The Barnett consequentials announced on 26 May 2010 have subsequently been adjusted to reflect subsequent confirmation of savings relating to expenditure on the Olympics. As a result the savings sought from the Welsh Assembly Government have been reduced to £185.5 million.

Public Sector: Pensions

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to table 48 of the Pre-Budget Forecast prepared by the Office for Budget Responsibility, on what planning assumptions relating to  (a) wages and  (b) levels of employment in the public sector the projections of the cost of public sector pensions are based.

Danny Alexander: The assumptions relating to wages and levels of employment assumed for the net public service pensions projections are consistent with the wider projections for public sector average earnings growth and levels of employment that are used in the pre-Budget forecast published on 14 June 2010.
	Details of these assumptions were published on 30 June on the Office for Budget Responsibility website at the following web address:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/publications.html

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed by HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland in each year since 2005.

David Gauke: The number of staff in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in Northern Ireland for each year since 2005 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  HMRC staff in Northern Ireland 1 April 2005 to 30 June 2010 
			   FTE( 1)  HC( 2) 
			 1 April 2005 2,538.10 2,693 
			 1 April 2006 2,360.32 2,513 
			 1 April 2007 2,325.93 2,480 
			 1 April 2008 2,204.31 2,364 
			 1 April 2009 2,087.75 2,257 
			 31 March 2010 1,914.77 2,089 
			 30 June 2010 1,872.33 2,049 
			 (1) FTE = Full-time equivalent. This is the equivalent number of full-time posts. (2) HC = Headcount. This is the total number of staff working in the organisation, irrespective of working patterns.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many local offices run by HM Revenue and Customs have been closed in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland in each year since 2005.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has closed five offices in Northern Ireland since 2005. The following table gives details of the parliamentary constituency in which each of the offices was located and the year of closure.
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency  Number of HMRC offices closed  Year of closure 
			 South Antrim 1 2006 
			 Foyle 1 2007 
			 Belfast West 1 2009 
			 East Londonderry 1 2010 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1 2010

Tax Avoidance

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent research he has commissioned on  (a) current levels of tax avoidance and  (b) measures to close loopholes used by those avoiding tax;
	(2)  if he will publish the  (a) modelling and  (b) assessments his Department has undertaken in the last six months on (i) the extent of tax avoidance and (ii) measures it has considered to close tax loopholes;
	(3)  what mechanisms his Department uses  (a) to estimate the extent of tax avoidance and  (b) to assess the effectiveness of measures to close tax loopholes;
	(4)  what assessment his Department has made of the extent of tax avoidance in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(5)  what steps his Department takes to identify possible loopholes in the tax system which  (a) companies and  (b) individuals may use (i) to avoid paying and (ii) pay less tax.

David Gauke: The Emergency Budget set out the Government's intention to build in sustainable defences against avoidance opportunities when undertaking policy reform and by reviewing areas of the tax system in which repeated changes have been necessary to close loopholes.
	Chapter 2 of Budget document also announced a number of specific measures to counter tax avoidance. Such measures are underpinned by HMRC's identification and assessment of avoidance risks.
	The Disclosure of Tax Avoidance schemes rules place a requirement on the promoters and users of avoidance schemes to disclose details to HMRC. HMRC also uses other sources of information to identify risks from tax avoidance. From the information gathered, HMRC is able to tackle avoidance through operational work, identify where legislation could be strengthened to reduce the risk of avoidance, and evaluate the effectiveness of measures taken to reduce avoidance.
	HMRC estimate that the overall tax gap was £40 billion in 2007-08. This estimate and the underlying methodology was published in "Measuring Tax Gaps 2009", available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps.pdf
	This work will be updated and published annually as Official Statistics.
	Alongside "Measuring Tax Gaps 2009", HMRC also published "Protecting Tax Revenues 2009"
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2009/protect-tax-revenue-5450.pdf
	which attributed the tax gap, using management assumptions, to the different behaviours driving it. Avoidance was estimated to account for 17.5% of the total tax gap.
	Previously, in March 2008 HMRC published details of analysis from 2005 that attempted to derive broad-brush estimates of the direct tax gap at the start of the decade:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/direct-tax-gaps.pdf
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/measuring-tax-gap.pdf
	This publication contained an estimate of the tax gap for avoidance for direct taxes of £10 billion, within a range of £5 billion to £15 billion. The wide range around the estimate highlighted the inherent uncertainty in its production.
	A list of the external research activities funded by HMRC is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/

VAT: Channel Islands

Sajid Javid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to end the sale of goods worth less than £18 free of value added tax by companies based in the Channel Islands to customers in the UK.

David Gauke: The Government are actively reviewing the operation of the VAT relief on imports from outside the EU, known as Low Value Consignment Relief. In assessing the case for change, the Government will take into account the need to balance often conflicting considerations including the impact on consumers, UK businesses and Royal Mail and other parcel operators, as well as the overall fiscal position and the practicality and cost of enforcing any changes to the operation of the relief.

VAT: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on the number of jobs in the economy in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Dudley borough of raising the rate of value added tax to 20 per cent.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member for Dudley North to the answer given by the hon. Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke) to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne) on 29 June 2010,  Official Report, column 506W.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility has not published forecasts on a sub-national level.

Welfare Tax Credits: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in Bristol East constituency receive tax credits.

David Gauke: The latest information on the number of families with children benefiting from child and working tax credits, by each parliamentary constituency, local authority and region is available in the HMRC snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical Analyses. April 2010'. This can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-apr2010.pdf

Welfare Tax Credits: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in Bristol East constituency with an annual income of  (a) less than £20,000,  (b) between £20,000 and £24,999,  (c) between £25,000 and £29,999,  (d) between £30,000 and £34,999,  (e) between £35,000 and £39,999 and  (f) £40,000 or more are in receipt of the child care element of tax credits.

David Gauke: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 1: Bristol East constituency families in receipt of the child care element of tax credits by income band 
			  Household income  Number 
			 Up to £10,000 310 
			 £10,000 to £20,000 170 
			 £20,000 to £30,000 200 
			 Over £30,000 130 
		
	
	This analysis is based on provisional information on families receiving tax credits as at April 2010. Further details about this data can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010". This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families are in receipt of the baby element of tax credits in Bristol East constituency.

David Gauke: The number of families receiving the baby element in Bristol East constituency is 860.
	This analysis is based on provisional information on families receiving tax credits as at April 2010. Further details about this data can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010". This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Durham

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits in City of Durham constituency have an annual income of over £30,000.

David Gauke: This information is published in the HMRC publication 'Household Income distribution of Tax Credits families by Westminster Constituency-April 2010', a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library. It will be published on HMRC's website shortly.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Constituencies: Boundary Commissions

Jack Straw: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding he plans to provide for the boundary commissions in each of the next three years.

Mark Harper: As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 24, a Bill will be introduced before the summer recess to implement the coalition agreement commitment to make provision for the creation of fewer and more equal sized constituencies. Once the Bill is published the Government will work with the Boundary Commissions to ensure they have the funding they need to carry out the task set for them by Parliament.

Constituencies: Boundary Commissions

Jack Straw: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether an equality impact assessment will be produced for his legislation to change parliamentary constituency boundaries.

Mark Harper: As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 24, a Bill will be introduced before the summer recess to implement the coalition agreement commitment to make provision for the creation of fewer and more equal sized constituencies. The Cabinet Office will follow the departmental policy of carrying out an initial screening exercise to assess whether the policy has any adverse equality impacts and, if this process establishes that an equality impact assessment is necessary, one will be produced.

Constituencies: Boundary Commissions

Clive Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes there will be to the procedures and processes used by the Boundary Commission in its work reviewing constituency boundaries and reducing constituency numbers compared with past boundary reviews.

Mark Harper: As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 24, a Bill will be introduced before the summer recess to implement the coalition agreement commitment to make provision for the creation of fewer and more equal sized constituencies. Detailed provisions on the procedures and rules for the conduct of the review by the Boundary Commissions will be included in the Bill and Parliament will have the opportunity to debate it in full.

Departmental Reorganisation

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Office from central London to Bassetlaw.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr Maude) on 12 July 2010, Official Report, column 598W.

Departmental Training

Pete Wishart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what training has been provided for Ministers by his Office since the formation of the present administration; and at what cost.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) on 3 June 2010,  Official Report, column 51W.

Electoral Register

Jack Straw: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many eligible voters who are missing from the electoral register he estimates will have been added to the register by December 2010.

Mark Harper: The Government have not made such an estimate.

Electoral Systems

Jack Straw: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Electoral Commission on his proposal to speed up implementation of individual voter registration.

Mark Harper: The Deputy Prime Minister and I have had discussions with the Commission on a number of matters. The Government are currently considering the options for implementation of individual electoral registration and will inform the House of their plans in due course.

Electoral Systems: Referendums

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether Members of the House of Lords would be eligible to vote in a proposed referendum on the alternative vote system.

Mark Harper: Decisions on the conduct and procedure for the referendum, including the franchise, have not been finalised. Further details will be announced in due course.

Electoral Systems: Referendums

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether prisoners would be eligible to vote in a proposed referendum on the alternative vote system; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: Decisions on the conduct and procedure for the referendum, including the franchise, have not been finalised. Further details will be announced in due course. The Government are considering afresh the best way forward on the issue of prisoner voting rights more generally.

Electoral Systems: Referendums

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what information he has  (a) sought and  (b) received from the Electoral Commission on the simultaneous holding of the referendum on reform of the electoral system for the House of Commons in May 2011 with elections to the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales.

Mark Harper: My right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister announced the Government's proposals for a referendum on the alternative vote, on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 23-25, and has held discussions with the Commission on a number of matters.

Electoral Systems: Referendums

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what information he has  (a) sought and  (b) received from the Electoral Commission on the wording of the proposed question in the referendum on reform of the electoral system for the House of Commons to be held in May 2011.

Mark Harper: My right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister announced the Government's proposals for a referendum on the alternative vote, on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 23-25. Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, the Commission has a statutory duty to comment on the intelligibility of any proposed referendum question. The Commission's assessment of the proposed question will begin after the Bill is introduced and their views shall be published in such manner as they may determine.

Electoral Systems: Referendums

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department has had with  (a) the Local Government Association,  (b) the Scottish Executive,  (c) the Welsh Assembly Government,  (d) the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and  (e) the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives on the timing of the proposed referendum on the alternative vote system.

Mark Harper: My right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister announced the Government's proposals for a referendum on the alternative vote, on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 23-25.
	Ministers and officials will work closely with all interested parties as these proposals are taken forward.

House of Lords: Reform

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2010,  Official Report, column 478W, on House of Lords: reform, whether he plans to propose a power for electors to recall an elected peer;
	(2)  if he will include in his legislative proposals for elections to the House of Lords provisions for electors to recall a member of that House so elected.

Mark Harper: The cross-party Committee on House of Lords reform, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, will consider what options are necessary to bring about a more accountable wholly or mainly elected second chamber. The Government will publish their proposals in a draft Bill by no later than the end of this year.

House of Lords: Reform

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his proposals for the reform of the House of Lords will be revenue-neutral.

Mark Harper: The cross-party Committee on House of Lords reform, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, is considering the size of the reformed second chamber and other issues which will determine the overall cost of a second chamber. The Government will publish an estimate of the costs alongside a draft Bill.

Members: Conduct

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will consider the merits of introducing a power for electors to recall  (a) a Member of the London Assembly,  (b) a local councillor and  (c) a Member of the European Parliament.

Mark Harper: The Government have no plans at this stage to introduce a power for electors to recall Members of the London Assembly, local councillors, or Members of the European Parliament.

Photographs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Office has spent on official photographs of Ministers since the formation of the present administration.

Nicholas Clegg: Nothing has been spent by my office on official photographs since the formation of the present Administration.

CABINET OFFICE

Childbirth: Wakefield

Mary Creagh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many live births there were in Wakefield constituency in 2009-10.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your request to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many live births there were in Wakefield constituency in 2009-10.
	Birth statistics for subnational areas from the registration system are published on a calendar year basis. The latest year for which figures are available is 2009. These are provisional.
	On this basis the number of live births in 2009 for women living in Wakefield constituency was 1,243. This figure is based on the parliamentary constituency boundaries for 2010.
	The final release of 2009 birth statistics for England and Wales is planned for 21 July 2010. Figures for 2010 will be published in 2011.

Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of public sector employees in Wales who will be directly affected by the implementation of the proposed changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme announced on 6 July 2010.

Francis Maude: The selection of civil servants for redundancy or early departure schemes is a matter for individual civil service departments and agencies.

Construction: Self-employed

David Hamilton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the most recent estimate is of the number of people registered as self-employed and working in the construction industry.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the most recent estimate is of the number of people registered as self-employed and working in the construction industry. (6605)
	For the three-month period January-March 2010 it is estimated that 850,000 self-employed people were working in the construction industry. The estimate of registered self-employed people is not available.
	These estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are not seasonally adjusted. The LFS is a survey of residents in private households and therefore excludes people living in communal establishments such as hostels and residential homes.
	As with any sample survey, the estimates provided are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on televisions in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Legal Costs

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on legal advice in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Lighting

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on light bulbs in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Location

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he plans to relocate  (a) civil servants and  (b) Government bodies for which his Department is responsible (i) out of London and (ii) to the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: As part of the work of the Efficiency and Reform Group we are looking at the most efficient use of Government property. No decisions have yet been made on relocations.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on hospitality in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All Cabinet Office expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in 'Managing Public Money' and the Treasury handbook on 'Regularity and Propriety'.

Departmental Regulation

David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which of his Department's regulations are under review; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office currently has the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and its associated regulations under review. The Charities Act 2006 contains a requirement that it is reviewed in 2011.

Departmental Stationery

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on stationery in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff in the Cabinet Office are on temporary civil service contracts.

Francis Maude: As at 7 July 2010, the Cabinet Office employs 90 staff on temporary civil service contracts recruited in accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment principles.

Departmental Training

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on employee away days in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All Cabinet Office expenditure on away days is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in 'Managing Public Money' and the Treasury handbook on 'Regularity and Propriety'.

Departmental Travel

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his  (a) Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on travel for employees in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Travel

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have been driven by the Government Car Service since the Government took office; and how much each of these persons has received in expenses for use of taxis, buses and underground trains in that period.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 30 June 2010,  Official Report, column 563W and 28 June 2010,  Official Report, column 446W.
	In addition, the Government publish on a quarterly basis, the expenses incurred by the most senior officials which includes use of the Government car service and other travel expenses.

Developing Countries: Forests

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what work his Department's European and Global Issues Secretariat undertakes on international negotiations on the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries.

Francis Maude: The Secretariat's role is to support the Prime Minister and the Cabinet in achieving collective agreement for the Government's EU and global policy objectives. This includes co-ordinating and agreeing policy positions for international negotiations including on the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries.

Energy: Subsidies

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what work his Department's European and Global Issues Secretariat undertakes on global energy subsidy reform.

Francis Maude: The Secretariat's role is to support the Prime Minister and the Cabinet in achieving collective agreement for the Government's EU and global policy objectives. This includes co-ordinating and agreeing the UK's policy position for international negotiations for the energy subsidies reform workstream being pursued in the G20.

EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the cost to his Department of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations in the last 12 months.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Government Communications

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps the Government Communications Network plans to take to ensure communications from Government departments and other public sector organisations reach people who do not have access to the internet.

Francis Maude: The Government Communications Network (GCN) is a virtual, online network and best practice resource open to civil servants who have a role or interest in Government communications.
	The GCN best practice communications framework actively encourages Government communicators to consider the appropriate range of on and offline channels to communicate effectively with all audiences.
	In addition, Martha Lane Fox was recently appointed by the Prime Minister as UK Digital Champion with a remit to encourage as many people as possible to go online.

Lone Parents

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many lone parents there are in  (a) Ashfield,  (b) Argyll and Bute and  (c) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your request to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many lone parents there are in (a) Ashfield, (b) Argyll and Bute and (c) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituencies. (6638)
	The number and type of families in the UK can be estimated using the Annual Population Survey (APS). Estimates are provided for lone parent families that include at least one child aged under 16.
	The latest available figures are for 2008 and are shown in the table below. These are based on 2008 parliamentary constituency boundaries and there have been no boundary changes since 2008 in the three areas requested.
	
		
			  Geographical area  Number of lone parent families-with at least one child under 16 ( T housand) 
			 Ashfield constituency 2 
			 Argyll and Bute constituency 2 
			 Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency 1 
			  Source: APS January to December 2008

Lone Parents: Lewisham

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many lone parents there are in Lewisham East constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your request to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many lone parents there are in Lewisham East constituency. (6585)
	The number and type of families in the UK can be estimated using the Annual Population Survey (APS). Estimates are provided for lone parent families that include at least one child aged under 16.
	The latest available figure is for 2008 and is shown in the table below. This is based on the 2008 parliamentary constituency boundary. Lewisham East, as constituted in 2008, consisted of seven electoral wards. In 2010, Lewisham East also consists of seven wards, but one ward has changed, so the area covered is different. The breakdown of the data available is not sufficiently detailed to determine whether the newly constituted parliamentary constituency contains the same estimated number of lone parents as the 2008 constituency.
	
		
			  Geographical area  Number of lone parent families-with at least one child under 16 ( T housand) 
			 Lewisham East constituency (2008) 6 
			  Source: APS January to December 2008

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Conduct

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any special advisers have been disciplined for  (a) bullying,  (b) breaching the law and  (c) breaching of the code of conduct for special advisers since 12 May 2010.

Francis Maude: No.

Office of Government Commerce Common Minimum Standards for Construction

Anne McGuire: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the outcome was of the review of Office of Government Commerce Common Minimum Standards for Construction; and if he will ensure that all Government contracts require workers on a construction site to be  (a) Construction Skills Certification Scheme-carded and  (b) able to prove their competence in another appropriate way.

Francis Maude: The Office of Government Commerce's Common Minimum Standards (CMS) mandate that departmental clients must ensure that their construction contracts require workers to be registered on CSCS or to be able to prove their competence in another appropriate way.
	OGC's initial review (completed in December 2009) determined that the CMS document needs to be updated to ensure that it continues to include all relevant government policy that affects the procurement of built environments. That action has been programmed to take place later this year (2010-11).

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Advantage West Midlands

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much Advantage West Midlands has spent on grants in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Stafford constituency in each year since 1999.

Mark Prisk: The Advantage West Midlands Regional Development Agency's grant in aid budgets in each year since 1999 is set out in the following table. The Department allocates budgets to regional development agencies. The agencies determine which projects to support, subject to the terms of the Accountability and Financial Framework and their delegated financial authorities. RDAs' investments have been guided by the Regional Economic Strategy and their Corporate Plans. The Department does not hold details of individual projects supported by the RDAs within their delegated financial authorities.
	
		
			  Grant in aid budgets 
			   £ million 
			 2010-11 202 
			 2009-10 296 
			 2008-09 296 
			 2007-08 291 
			 2006-07 282 
			 2005-06 288 
			 2004-05 219 
			 2003-04 240 
			 2002-03 204 
			 2001-02 141 
			 2000-01 113 
			 1999-2000 103

Advantage West Midlands: Finance

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much Advantage West Midlands has spent on  (a) grants and  (b) administration for grants in each year since 1999.

Mark Prisk: The Advantage West Midlands Regional Development Agency's grant in aid and administration budgets in each year since 1999 is set out in the following table. The Department allocates budgets to regional development agencies. The agencies determine which projects to support, subject to the terms of the Accountability and Financial Framework and their delegated financial authorities. RDAs' investments have been guided by the Regional Economic Strategy and their Corporate Plans. The Department does not hold details of individual projects supported by the RDAs within their delegated financial authorities.
	
		
			   Grant in  a id budgets (£  million)  Administration  b udgets (£000) 
			 2010-11 202 21,685 
			 2009-10 296 24,036 
			 2008-09 296 24,491 
			 2007-08 291 20,992 
			 2006-07 282 20,535 
			 2005-06 288 21,311 
			 2004-05 219 21,050 
			 2003-04 240 18,199 
			 2002-03 204 15,616 
			 2001-02 141 13,023 
			 2000-01 113 11,884 
			 1999-2000 103 9,200

Business Links

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has for the future of  (a) Business Link and  (b) Business Link North West.

Mark Prisk: The coalition Government are committed to abolishing the Regional Development Agencies and establishing Local Enterprise Partnerships. Business Link is provided by the RDAs and we are currently reviewing all the functions of the RDAs to determine whether and how best to deliver them in future. Business Link including Business Link North West is being reviewed as part of this process.

Business: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any businesses in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London borough of Bexley have received loans from the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme in the last 12 months.

Mark Prisk: The Enterprise Finance Guarantee came into operation in January 2009. As of 7 July 2010, in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency eight businesses have drawn down loans totalling £518,491, and in the London borough of Bexley 17 businesses have drawn down loans totalling £1.47 million.

Business: Equality

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Government Equalities Office is taking to reduce the gender gap between men and women in setting up new businesses.

Mark Prisk: The Government believe that much more needs to be done to encourage women to start their own businesses. If women started businesses at the same rate as men each year it would create an additional 150,000 start-up businesses. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has asked my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to consider the best way of addressing the issues and challenges relating to women's enterprise.

Business: Females

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Government Equalities Office is taking to establish female entrepreneurial role models.

Mark Prisk: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has asked my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to consider the best way of addressing the issues and challenges relating to women's enterprise.

Business: Operating Costs

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the average costs of operating an office in  (a) London,  (b) Bassetlaw and  (c) other places outside London.

Edward Davey: I would refer the hon. Member to the Office of Government Commerce "State of the Estate" report for 2009, which can be found at the following link and includes property costs:
	http://www.ogc.gov.uk/high_performing_property_the_state_of_the_estate_2009.asp

Business: Rural Areas

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to support rural businesses.

Mark Prisk: The coalition Government intend to modernise how support, information and advice is provided to all businesses everywhere. BIS is working with DEFRA to ensure that rural needs and interests are appropriately addressed in relevant Government economic programmes and initiatives, such as the roll out of reliable and effective broadband access to rural areas.

Companies: Registration

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what market testing his Department undertook in relation to Form IN01, Application to Register a Company prior to its introduction in 2009.

Edward Davey: Companies House does not carry out market testing in the usual sense but it carried out consultations in relation to form IN01 with the Companies Act Programme Working Party and E-Filing/Forms Producers Working Party quarterly from 6 March 2008 to 2 February 2009 prior to its introduction in 2009. These working parties include 22 regional focus groups, primarily made up of the principal company formation agents, and 36 forms producing companies.

Departmental Official Cars

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department are entitled to the use of (i) a car with a dedicated driver, (ii) a car from the Government car pool and (iii) a taxi ordered through a departmental account.

Edward Davey: As was the case under previous Governments, all civil servants and special advisers may use an official car or taxi in properly defined circumstances.

Departmental Written Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the internal background note relating to each parliamentary question tabled by the hon. Member for Southend West and answered by his Department since June 2010.

Edward Davey: Where provided, internal background notes linked to written answers to parliamentary questions tabled by my hon. Friend since June 2010 will be placed in the Libraries of the House. Supplementary information provided for the oral answer made by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise to my hon. Friend on 3 June 2010,  Official Report, column 559, will not be provided as to do so would be likely to prejudice the free and frank nature of the advice that Ministers receive from officials. It is in the public interest that officials are able to provide balanced, and where necessary extensive, briefing to ensure that Ministers are able to fully respond to questions and discharge properly their duties to account for government policy to Parliament. If the content of briefings to Ministers and discussion of current policy issues were released, officials would be more circumspect in drafting such briefing and Ministers' ability to respond to questions would be compromised as a result. I am sending a copy of this answer to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann).

East of England Development Agency: Official Hospitality

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the East of England Development Agency has spent on the provision of  (a) live and  (b) recorded music at hospitality functions in each year since its inception.

Mark Prisk: On the provision of music at hospitality functions, East of England Development Agency has spent £160 on live music in 2007 for a student string quartet at the Destination Growth business dinner; and on recorded music nothing has been incurred.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) effectiveness of rules on the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment and  (b) level of compliance with those rules; what steps he is taking to ensure that such equipment is not shipped abroad for disposal; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 12 July 2010
	Since the introduction of the UK's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations in 2007, the UK has consistently exceeded the annual target placed on member states by the European Commission to separately collect a minimum of 4 kg of WEEE per head of population. The UK achieved a collection rate of 7.633 kg in 2009, which compares with 7.06 kg in 2008.
	The Environment Agencies regulate producer and treatment obligations under the WEEE regulations. There are currently 5,562 registered producers in the UK, 147 operators of approved authorised treatment facilities that undertake the treatment, recycling or reuse of waste equipment at 224 different sites and 45 approved exporters that can send waste equipment for treatment and recovery overseas.

EU Research Fund for Coal and Steel: North East

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been allocated to the North East from the EU Research Fund for Coal and Steel in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: Her Majesty's Government do not hold the information requested. The Research Fund for Coal and Steel is administered solely by the European Commission and decisions on funding collaborative research proposals are made on a project-by-project basis by them.

Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2010,  Official Report, column 190W, on fossil fuels: export credit guarantees, when he plans to bring forward primary legislation to amend the Export and Investment Guarantees Act 1991 to end Export Credits Guarantee Department plans to support dirty fossil-fuel energy production.

Edward Davey: As stated in my answer of 28 June 2010,  Official Report, column 416W, I will be discussing with ministerial colleagues in BIS and in other Departments, and with officials in ECGD and UKTI, how best to take forward the Coalition Programme commitment that:
	"ECGD and UKTI should become champions for British companies that develop and export innovative green technologies around the world, instead of supporting investment in dirty fossil-fuel energy production."
	The outcome will determine what steps will be necessary to implement this commitment.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Potatoes

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what research and development grants his Department has provided for the development of genetically modified potatoes resistant to late blight since May 1997, including for research into resistance genes and mechanisms;
	(2)  what research and development grants the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has provided for the development of potatoes resistant to late blight using traditional breeding since May 1997;
	(3)  what research and development grants his Department has provided for the development of genetically modified potatoes resistant to potato cyst eelworm since May 1997;
	(4)  what research and development grants the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council provided for the development of genetically modified potatoes resistant to potato cyst eelworm since May 1997.

David Willetts: This Department has not directly funded research for the development of genetically modified potatoes resistant to late blight or for the development of genetically modified potatoes resistant to potato cyst eelworm.
	The Department provides funding to the seven UK research councils, including the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Since May 1997, BBSRC has funded research to the value of £1,678,000 for basic and strategic bioscience of direct relevance to late blight resistance in genetically modified potatoes, and £1,286,000 for research into the biology of resistance genes and the underlying molecular and cellular mechanism. In addition, BBSRC has funded a number of research grants into the basic biology of pathogenicity of Phytophthora infestans (the infective agent of potato blight). These are not commercial trials of potential crop varieties.
	Since May 1997, BBSRC has funded research to the value of £837,000 of direct relevance to late blight resistance in potatoes using traditional breeding methods. In addition, BBSRC has funded a number of research grants into the basic biology of pathogenicity of Phytophthora infestans (the infective agent of potato blight). These are not commercial trials of potential crop varieties.
	Since May 1997, BBSRC has funded research to the value of £1,419.5,000 for basic and strategic bioscience of direct relevance to potato cyst eelworm resistance in genetically modified potatoes. In addition, BBSRC has funded a range of underpinning research, for example into identifying genes that potentially confer resistance to potato cyst eelworm. These are not commercial trials of potential crop varieties.

Northwest Regional Development Agency

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from local authorities in Merseyside on the abolition of the North West Development Agency.

Mark Prisk: Letters have been received from Sefton council and Wirral metropolitan borough council about abolition of the North West Development Agency. A letter has also been received from 4NW on behalf of north west local authorities, co-signed by other regional stakeholders.

Northwest Regional Development Agency: Wirral

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance the North West Regional Development Agency has provided to businesses in Wirral West constituency in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010.

Mark Prisk: The Department allocates budgets to regional development agencies. The agencies determine what assistance to provide to business, subject to the terms of the Accountability and Financial Framework and their delegated financial authorities. RDAs' investments have been guided by the Regional Economic Strategy and their Corporate Plans. The Department does not hold details of all assistance given by the RDAs within their delegated financial authorities.

Overseas Trade: Iraq

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase trade between the UK and the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) staff in Baghdad and London, together with the British consulate general team in Erbil, support British companies wishing to trade with Iraqi Kurdistan.
	UKTI works closely with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representation in London and business support organisations such as the Iraq Britain Business Council and the Middle East Association, on trade missions and other events aimed at ensuring that British companies are aware of business opportunities in Iraqi Kurdistan and able to exploit them. In February this year, the KRG participated in UKTI's "Partner Middle East" road shows, giving access to over 300 companies in London and Manchester. In June, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, spoke at the "Kurdistan Trade & Investment Conference" in London. In October, UKTI will support the first ever official British presence at the Erbil International Trade Fair, to which UKTI's CEO, Sir Andrew Cahn, intends to lead a sizeable UK business delegation.

Post Offices: National Lottery

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with the Federation of Sub-Postmasters and Postmistresses regarding Camelot's application to the National Lottery Commission to operate additional commercial services in partnership with the Post Office; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regarding the Post Office's involvement in Camelot's application to the National Lottery Commission to operate commercial bill payment and mobile telephone top-up services; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: Following a public consultation, Camelot's proposal to provide commercial services through lottery terminals remains subject to the regulatory approval of the National Lottery Commission.
	A clarification from Camelot published by the Commission on 8 April confirmed that there was currently no concluded agreement between the Post Office and Camelot in relation to the provision of commercial services.
	I have not had discussions with the Department for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport about Camelot's application but my officials have discussed with the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters their views and consultation response on the Camelot application.

Qualifications

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to exempt professional degree programmes from the conditions of the Equal or Lower Qualifications policy.

David Willetts: Student finance issues are currently being considered by the Independent Review of Higher Education funding and Student Finance, chaired by Lord Browne, which we expect to report in the autumn.

Science: Government Assistance

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support  (a) the engineering industry,  (b) science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills and  (c) the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Mark Prisk: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Government fully recognise the importance of the engineering industry, and its role in achieving a balanced economy. In developing our plans to rebalance the economy, we are keen to ensure that we provide the best environment for long-term sustainable growth in engineering.
	 (b) The Science Cluster of Sector Skills Councils is undertaking a strategic planning and review of activity to provide a fit between STEM skills provision and skills needs. Apprenticeships are a major contributor to the nation's STEM skills and this Government are committed to expanding Apprenticeships, in particular, Advanced and Higher Apprenticeship. In further education, the Learning and Skills Improvement Service is working to improve the content and delivery of STEM skills. This Department also works closely with the Department for Education to encourage students to choose science and engineering subjects. The Government currently support a range of initiatives such as STEMNET, the Big Bang Fair, and HEFCE's strategically important and vulnerable subjects, and National HE STEM, programmes.
	 (c) The Government do not provide any support to the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Sheffield Forgemasters: Finance

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what factors he took into account in his review of the decision to provide Sheffield Forgemasters with an £80 million loan facility; and what representations his Department received as part of that review;
	(2)  whether third parties were invited to contribute to his review of the decision to provide Sheffield Forgemasters with an £80 million loan facility;
	(3)  whether any representations were received by his review of the decision to provide Sheffield Forgemasters with an £80 million loan facility on Sheffield Forgemasters funding the total cost of the investment commercially.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 12 July 2010
	On factors taken into account in the Government's review of the decision to provide Sheffield Forgemasters with an £80 million loan facility, I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to the hon. Member on 8 July 2010,  Official Report, column 505.
	On representations received during the review, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 29 June 2010,  Official Report, column 540W. The Department did not approach anyone outside of Government as part of the review of the decision on the loan facility to Sheffield Forgemasters.
	Officials were asked to consider the possibility of Sheffield Forgemasters funding the total cost of the press project commercially. No assessment from outside of Government was commissioned.

Students: Finance

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to increase the level of the student maintenance loan in line with the increase in the rate of value added tax.

David Willetts: The student maintenance loan has been set for the 2010/11 academic year and we have no plans to change it. No decision has been made on the level of maintenance loan for future years.

UK Commission for Employment and Skills

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with the  (a) Chair and  (b) Chief Executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills since 12 May 2010.

John Hayes: The Minister of State for Universities and Science, met the chief executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, at the Labour Market Economists Seminars organised by the Department on 23 June and 5 July.
	I attended part of a meeting of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills on 26 May, where I met both the chair and the chief executive. I also had a bilateral meeting with the chief executive on 23 June.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many absent parents were sent to prison for non-payment of child maintenance in each of the last three years.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Susan Park:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. As the Child Maintenance Commissioner is currently on annual leave I am responding on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many absent parents were sent to prison for non-payment of child maintenance in each of the last three years.
	When the CSA commences court proceedings for wilful refusal or culpable neglect to pay child maintenance the court decides what sentence shall be imposed. Committal to prison is one option available to them.
	The number of non-resident parents committed to prison by the courts for non-payment of child maintenance in each of the last three years is provided in the table below.
	
		
			  Committal sentences 
			  Year to date  Number 
			 February 2007 to January 2008 35 
			 February 2008 to January 2009 30 
			 February 2009 to January 2010 50 
			  Note: Figures rounded to the nearest 5 due to data disclosure rules. 
		
	
	Information on the total volume of enforcement actions undertaken by the Agency is routinely published in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics. This is available through the following link:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/pdf/qss/QSS%20March10.pdf

Departmental Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many buildings his Department occupies in  (a) London and  (b) the UK.

Chris Grayling: As at 1 July 2010, the Department for Work and Pensions (including Jobcentre Plus, Directgov, The Pensions Regulator, Health and Safety Executive and The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission) occupies:
	 (a) 100 buildings in London; and
	 (b) 954 buildings in the remainder of the UK.
	Through implementation of our estate strategies (covering 2003-11) we expect to have reduced our estates by 28% since the Department was formed, vacating over 800 buildings.

Departmental Official Cars

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the mileage travelled by each Minister in his Department in a Government car in  (a) May and  (b) June 2010.

Chris Grayling: The DWP does not routinely record the mileage travelled by each Minister in the Department in a Government car and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers and  (b) other individuals are employed in his Department to write speeches for each Minister in his Department.

Chris Grayling: No civil servants are employed by the Department solely as speechwriters for Ministers. Three private secretaries undertake this role as part of their normal duties.
	In addition, two interns contributed to speechwriting for Ministers during their six-month contracts which have just expired.

Disability Living Allowance

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether there will be any changes to attendance allowance as a result of his proposed changes to disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: The commitments announced in the Budget to reform disability living allowance related specifically to the working age caseload.

Disability Living Allowance: Medical Examinations

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether a person whose condition worsens following a medical assessment for disability living allowance will be required to undergo a further such assessment;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that a claimant's general practitioner is contacted prior to a medical assessment for disability living allowance, with particular reference to cases where the disability is not common;
	(3)  if he will bring forward proposals for the exemption from the medical assessment for disability living allowance for those diagnosed with  (a) mental health and  (b) learning disabilities;
	(4)  what alternatives to medical assessments are under consideration or part of his proposals for the reform of disability living allowance;
	(5)  what plans he has to consult  (a) disabled people and  (b) organisations representing disabled people on changes to the disability living allowance assessment form;
	(6)  what factors medical assessments for entitlement to disability living allowance will take into account once entitlement is not based on a particular disabling condition;
	(7)  what plans he has to revise the claim form for disability living allowance to assist claimants whose disabilities mean that they may have difficulty in completing the existing form;
	(8)  if he will assess the merits of introducing alternative methods of submitting a claim for disability living allowance in cases where a person finds it difficult to complete a claim form because of their disability;
	(9)  if he will assess the merits of introducing self-assessment questionnaires prior to a medical assessment for disability living allowance to determine whether such a medical assessment is necessary;
	(10)  what plans he has for the medical assessment of claimants of disability living allowance in cases where the person's disability makes it difficult for them to attend such an assessment;
	(11)  if he will issue guidance to those assessing claims for disability living allowance to require the consideration of all relevant  (a) medical and  (b) non-medical information.

Maria Miller: Commitments were made in the emergency Budget to reform DLA to ensure it supports those people who are most in need. We will introduce a more objective assessment and consider, as part of these reforms, how we can reduce the burden of long claim forms for applicants.
	As we develop our proposals, we will talk to disabled people and a broad range of representative organisations to ensure support is effectively targeted on those with greatest need and distributed on a consistent basis, while continuing to tackle the inequalities that can arise from severe disability.

Disability Living Allowance: Medical Examinations

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether those in receipt of disability living allowance will be required to undergo a further medical assessment following his proposed reforms of that allowance.

Maria Miller: The June Budget red book made clear that we would develop a new objective assessment for disability living allowance and also apply that approach to people of working age already in receipt of disability living allowance starting from 2013-14.

EC Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to his Department of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations.

Chris Grayling: Government Departments, as employers, are required to act in accordance with a wide variety of regulation both of EU origin and domestic.
	There is no pre-existing breakdown of the costs imposed on departments by EU regulations to draw on in producing such an estimate. It is not standard accounting practice to distinguish regulatory compliance costs from overall running costs.
	Producing such an estimate could not be undertaken without incurring disproportionate expenditure.

Employment and Support Allowance: Arthritis

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what employment and support allowance is payable to a person with rheumatoid arthritis.

Chris Grayling: ESA is not paid on the basis of a specific medical condition. It is paid at different rates depending on an individual's circumstances and where they are in the claim process.

Employment Schemes: Learning Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made any estimate of the average annual cost of  (a) supporting a person with learning disabilities into employment and  (b) a local authority day-care placement for a person with learning disabilities.

Maria Miller: The Department offers a range of employment programmes depending on the needs of the customer. This includes specialist programmes such as Work Preparation and WORKSTEP, which are particularly suitable for some customers with a learning disability who may need specialist support to prepare for work and ongoing support once in employment.
	In 2008-09, 13,680 customers were supported in employment through the WORKSTEP programme at a total cost of £69 million. There is no estimate of the individual cost of supporting someone with learning disabilities into employment.
	Estimates of the cost of local authority day-care placements are a matter for my hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health.

Housing Benefit

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 110W, on housing benefit, how many households in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Wales were receiving the maximum local housing allowance payment in the most recent month for which figures are available; and for how long on average households in each such area had been in receipt of that benefit in that month.

Steve Webb: At March 2010 there were fewer than 100 customers who received the maximum local housing allowance rate. All these customers were located in the Central London Broad Rental Market Area. Information on durations for the receipt of housing benefit is not available yet.

Industrial Health and Safety

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology his Department uses to estimate the cost to the economy of occupational illnesses; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the latest assessment produced by his Department using this methodology.

Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates the costs to employers, individuals and to society of occupational illness (and also of workplace injury). Estimates are based on both the financial and non-financial costs associated with illness and the published HSE statistics on occupational ill health. Non-financial costs are estimated using a 'Willingness to Pay' methodology, in line with Treasury guidance.
	The most recent estimates and details of the methodology are contained in the published report: 'Interim update of the Costs to Britain of Workplace Accidents and Work related Ill Health'. I have arranged for a copy of this report to be placed in the Library. Work is currently under way to update the estimates, which it is planned to publish in late summer 2010.

Industrial Health and Safety: Inspections

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average percentage of a health and safety inspector's working time was spent inspecting workplaces in each year from 1997 to 2009.

Chris Grayling: Information is not available in the form requested and cannot be assembled without disproportionate cost.

Industrial Injuries: Sick Leave

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days absent from work were caused by a workplace injury in each year from 1997 to 2009.

Chris Grayling: The estimated number of working days lost in 2000-01 and 2003-04 to 2008-09, as a result of workplace injury (in the previous 12 months), are given in the following table. These data are not available prior to 2000-01 or for 2001-02 and 2002-03.
	
		
			  Year  Estimated full-day equivalent working days lost due to self-reported workplace injuries  (thousands) 
			 2000-01 8,065 
			 2003-04 8,785 
			 2004-05 7,021 
			 2005-06 6,139 
			 2006-07 5,773 
			 2007-08 6,262 
			 2008-09 4,711

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what he expects the staffing level at Jobcentre Plus to be in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what he expects the staffing level at Jobcentre Plus to be in the next 12 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We continue to monitor workloads and economic forecasts and Jobcentre Plus staffing levels are reviewed on a regular basis as part of that. We currently expect our staffing to be around 76,500 full time equivalents at March 2011. Beyond that point, staffing and spending plans for Jobcentre Plus will be dependent on the levels to be announced on 20 October 2010 in the Spending Review settlement set out by HM Treasury.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus: Temporary Employment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's policy is on using temporary and agency staff in Jobcentre Plus front offices.

Chris Grayling: A recruitment freeze currently applies to all parts of DWP, with only very limited exceptions. For Jobcentre Plus these exceptions have to be agreed by the chief executive and reported regularly to myself as Minister for Employment.
	The Department for Work Pensions policy allows short-term vacancies to be filled by a fixed term or temporary appointment. This includes their use in Jobcentre Plus front offices. Before considering recruiting fixed term or temporary appointments, all other sources of filling posts must have been explored.
	In exceptional circumstances where there are no suitable internal applicants and businesses cannot recruit temporary or fixed term employees, consideration may be given to the use of temporary/interim employees supplied via an employment agency. All internal and external options must have been exhausted prior to seeking the appointment of agency supplied workers.

Jobseekers Allowance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of jobseeker's allowance have had that allowance withdrawn following a failure to meet each condition attached to receipt of the allowance in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The requested information can be readily obtained from the Department for Work and Pensions' website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp
	and has been placed in the Library.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) lone parents and  (b) others in Bristol East constituency who will have been on jobseeker's allowance for over 12 months by 2013.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Clwyd

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) lone parents and  (b) others who will have been on jobseeker's allowance for over 12 months by 2013 in Clwyd South constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance: East Lothian

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) lone parents,  (b) people under the age of 24 years and  (c) others in East Lothian constituency who will have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months by 2013.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the amount which will be paid in jobseeker's allowance in the next  (a) 12,  (b) 24 and  (c) 36 months to residents in (i) the West Midlands, (ii) Dudley borough and (iii) Dudley North constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available: the Department for Work and Pensions does not forecast benefit expenditure at sub-national level.

Lone Parents: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents there are in Bristol East constituency.

Maria Miller: In 2008, there were estimated to be 4,200 lone parents in Bristol East. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 100.
	The estimate is based on the Household Annual Population Survey (HAPS). The latest available wave for the HAPS is 2008. In 2008 parliamentary constituency boundaries were different. The information given reflects the population in the current boundaries as closely as possible.
	It is important to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the HAPS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. At the constituency level the group in question is very specific and the estimate is based on very small sample sizes. Therefore, the margin of uncertainty is very large for this estimate and the figure is deemed unreliable and would not be used by the Department for Work and Pensions for practical purposes.

Lone Parents: East Lothian

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents there are in East Lothian constituency.

Maria Miller: In 2008, there were estimated to be 2,200 lone parents in East Lothian. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 100.
	The estimate is based on the Household Annual Population Survey (HAPS). The latest available wave for the HAPS is 2008. In 2008 parliamentary constituency boundaries were different. The information given reflects the population in the current boundaries as closely as possible.
	It is important to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the HAPS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. At the constituency level the group in question is very specific and the estimate is based on very small sample sizes. Therefore, the margin of uncertainty is very large for this estimate and the figure is deemed unreliable and would not be used by the Department for Work and Pensions for practical purposes.

Social Security Benefits: Arthritis

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are not able to work receive the appropriate benefit.

Chris Grayling: Employment and support allowance is paid to those who are not able to work on health or disability grounds. However, it is not paid on the basis of a specific medical condition or diagnosis. ESA is paid following assessment of an individual's capability for work. The work capability assessment (WCA) is a key aspect of ESA and is conducted by a health care professional.
	Other benefits are available to support people with disabilities and health conditions, both in and out of work, including disability living allowance.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the status is of applications made for Independent Living Fund (ILF) support prior to the new criteria coming into force; and for what reasons the City of Edinburgh Council was not informed of the recent cancellation of all scheduled ILF assessment.

Maria Miller: The Independent Living Fund is currently unable to commit any further funding to new applicants, except those that have already received a formal offer of funding. All applications to the ILF which had not received a formal offer from the ILF by 17 June 2010 have been rejected.
	The Independent Living Fund Social Work Director wrote to the directors of adult and children's social services at all local authorities, including the City of Edinburgh council, on 17 June explaining that no more applications could be accepted and that the Independent Living Fund would write to each applicant and their local authority representative letting them know this.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receive  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) employment and support allowance in East Lothian constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Employment support allowance claimants, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, and disability living allowance: November 2009 
			  Parliamentary constituency  ESA  IB/SDA  DLA 
			 East Lothian 640 3,620 5,270 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied. 3. Caseload for DLA shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 5. IB/SDA 'Claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a National Insurance Credit, i.e. 'credits only cases'.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Bristol North West constituency are in receipt of  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) employment and support allowance.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Disability living allowance, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, and employment support allowance claimants in Bristol North West parliamentary constituency: November 2009 
			  Parliamentary constituency  DLA  IB/SDA  ESA 
			 Bristol North West 5,370 4,070 680 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied. 3. Caseload for DLA shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 5. IB/SDA 'Claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, i.e. 'credits only cases'.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases reported to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline in  (a) Stafford constituency,  (b) Staffordshire and  (c) the West Midlands have resulted in action being taken against claimants in the last three years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Unemployment: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposals in Budget 2010 on levels of economic inactivity in  (a) Wales and  (b) Bridgend county borough council area in each of the next five years.

Chris Grayling: On 22 June the Office for Budget Responsibility published a forecast for the economy and the labour market, taking account of the Budget. This shows the number of people in work in the UK rising by 1.3 million, from 28.9 million this financial year to 30.2 million in 2015-16, with the unemployment rate falling from 8.1% of the work force to 6.1% over the same period. No specific assessment of the implications of this forecast for the labour market, including levels of economic inactivity, in Wales and Bridgend, is available.
	We are introducing the Work Programme in order to provide the right support to help people who are out of work get closer to the labour market and into employment and we are reviewing benefit system incentives to assess the best ways to help people to move off benefits and into work.
	In addition, we will be assessing incapacity benefit claimants through the Work Capability Assessment to make sure that the only people on incapacity benefits are those genuinely incapable of work.

Work Choice Programme

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has approved the Work Choice programme for implementation.

Maria Miller: We are committed to providing support for disabled people with the most complex barriers to employment, to help them get and keep a job.
	The Work Choice programme is being considered alongside the introduction of the Work Programme and an announcement on the future of Work Choice will be made shortly.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to increase the number of new build affordable homes in  (a) England and  (b) Coventry.

Andrew Stunell: We recognise that there is a continued need for affordable housing and remain committed to its provision, for example, the Coalition programme for government set out our commitment to promoting shared ownership schemes which allow first time buyers on modest incomes purchase a home. Decisions on future levels of funding for the provision of new affordable housing will be made in the spending review.

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the level of availability of affordable housing in (a) England and  (b) the West Midlands.

Andrew Stunell: Statistics showing the gross new supply of affordable housing by region and by local authority area are published in Live Table 1008 on the Communities and Local Government website. The table, which includes both new-build completions as well as acquisitions, can be found at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/affordablehousingsupply/livetables/
	Data are not held centrally on vacant affordable homes available for rent or sale.

Affordable Housing: Construction

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes to be sold under low cost home ownership schemes were built in each local authority area in England in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested for the five years up to and including 2008-09 is provided in a table which has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Not all low cost home ownership is provided through new build completions as supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. In England in 2008-09 for example, out of 22,970 homes provided for low-cost home ownership 9,220 were acquired through the purchase of existing homes.

Council Housing: Construction

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when he expects the decision on the bid for funding for the Wood Road Local Authority New Build Scheme to be announced; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects the decision on the bid for funding for the Blackthorn Road Local Authority New Build Scheme to be announced; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  when he expects the decision on the bid for funding for Tenacre Lane Local Authority New Build Scheme to be announced; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Homes and Communities Agency's regional teams are currently undertaking an evaluation of all projects' funding that had been put on hold including those under the local authority new build programme. Determination will be based on available resources with the aim to maximise affordable housing and achieve best value for money alongside local priorities, with completion of reviews as soon as possible.

Departmental Public Expenditure

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on public spending control, under which budgetary headings he expects his Department to make savings of £220 million in fiscal year 2010-11.

Grant Shapps: The Government remain strongly committed to reducing the United Kingdom's budget deficit and the announcement by the Chief Secretary on 5 July 2010 confirmed that the Department has agreed to a £220 million reduction in its claim for End Year Flexibility this year. We have therefore been able to confirm £3 90 million of End Year Flexibility this year, alongside the £170 million announced on 24 May 2010, for the provision of new social housing and other housing priorities.
	This guarantee of £560 million of funding will enable the Homes and Community Agency (HCA) to meet all existing contractual commitments and will be able to progress some of those programmes that have been paused while the funding position was under review. The HCA's regional offices will be assessing which other schemes can be progressed. Moreover given public sector borrowing in 2010-11 was forecast to hit £167 billion; such levels of spending on 'borrowed money' was unsustainable-contributing to the forecast £1.4 trillion of public debt by 2014.

First Time Buyers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to assist first-time buyers to enter the housing market.

Andrew Stunell: The Government are committed to helping those who aspire to own their own home to do so. Freeing up lending for first time buyers and others depends above all on the return to economic and financial stability which the Government are seeking to achieve. The Government's programme of debt reduction and commitment to abolish the structural deficit in the life of this Parliament will help to keep interest rates low and improve credit availability.
	The Coalition programme for government sets out our commitment to promoting shared ownership schemes, which allow first time buyers on modest incomes purchase a home. We will also be reviewing the low cost home ownership (HomeBuy) programme as a whole in the context of the comprehensive spending review.

Housing: Broadband

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an assessment of the level of demand for housing in areas  (a) with and  (b) without access to fast broadband; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: The Government have made no formal assessment of the level of demand for housing in areas  (a) with and  (b) without access to fast broadband. However, as set out in the budget, the Government want to ensure that the UK has a world class telecommunications infrastructure, to help keep us at the forefront of economic competitiveness. A further commitment has been made that a broadband service of 2 Mpbs will be provided at community level. The Government also wish to support investment in new superfast broadband internet connections, including by enabling access to BT's and other utilities' existing infrastructure.

Housing: Construction

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) homes and  (b) affordable homes were completed in each county in the East of England region in each year since 1997.

Andrew Stunell: Statistics available on the number of homes completed in each region, county and district are published on the CLG website in table 253:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1474276.xls
	Information on the number of affordable homes delivered for each local authority area, including both new-build homes and acquisitions, is published in Live Table 1008 on the Communities and Local Government website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/affordablehousingsupply/livetables/

Local Government Finance

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 4-5WS, on regional strategies, what the implications are of his policy of providing local authorities with incentives to build new homes for levels of funding for local authorities which do not grant planning consents for new housing.

Grant Shapps: We are committed to increasing housing supply and seeing more of the homes that people want, in the places that people want them, to meet Britain's housing need. The coalition agreement set out our clear intention to provide incentives for local authorities to deliver sustainable development, including new homes and business.
	The new incentives scheme will therefore reward local authorities that choose to take action to deliver housing growth. I will set out further details on incentives in due course, but local authorities will want to take account of incentives when making decisions to grant planning permission.

Local Government: Property Transfer

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have used their power to dispose of land at less than best consideration in each year since the power was introduced.

Bob Neill: Data on all local authority land disposals at less than best consideration is not available centrally for the period since the introduction of the legislation. The revised general disposal consent issued in 2003 required authorities seeking to make disposals with an undervalue of more than two million pounds to obtain the specific consent of the Secretary of State. The local authorities that have received a specific consent of the Secretary of State since 2003 are set out as follows.
	 2003
	L B Brent
	Birmingham city council
	Bracknell Forest borough council
	Ashford borough council
	 2004
	Eden district council
	Kirklees MBC(2)
	Basingstoke and Deane borough council
	Manchester city council
	Uttlesford district council
	 2005
	LB Greenwich
	Uttlesford district council
	Sefton MBC (3)
	Bradford MBC
	Kirklees MBC
	 2006
	Sefton MBC
	LB Lewisham
	Plymouth city council
	Buckinghamshire county council
	Tameside MBC (2)
	Richmondshire district council
	LB Tower Hamlets
	Stockport MBC
	Brighton and Hove city council
	 2007
	Ipswich borough council
	Kirklees
	Leicester city council
	LB Hackney
	LB Enfield
	2008
	Carlisle city council
	Coventry city council
	LB Newham
	LB Enfield
	Aylesbury Vale district council
	Sefton MBC (3)
	 2009
	Calderdale MBC
	 2010
	Wiltshire council
	LB Barnet(2)
	Bambergh district council

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses in each local authority area were licensed under  (a) mandatory,  (b) additional and  (c) selective licensing in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: The number of mandatory licences for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) for those local authorities that have returned figures to Communities and Local Government from July 2008 to July 2010 are shown in a table which has been deposited in the Library of the House. Figures on licensing of HMOs for earlier years and on the number of additional and selective licensed HMOs are not available centrally.
	The figures are as reported by the local authority and there are concerns about their quality and robustness. Definitive numbers of licensed HMOs are available directly from the registers held by local authorities.

Planning Obligations

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many social rented homes were built under section 106 agreements in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many low cost home ownership homes were built under section 106 agreements in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Provision of affordable housing funded by developer contributions through planning obligations: England( 1) 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Social and intermediate rent(2,3) 11,910 14,370 15,260 15,650 20,390 
			 Low cost home ownership 5,120 7,830 9,670 10,320 10,660 
			 Tenure unknown(4) 1,140 1,670 900 1,150 1,240 
			 Total 18,180 23,870 25,840 27,110 32,290 
			 (1) Column totals may not sum as data rounded to nearest 10. (2) May include a small amount of local authority LCHO units not separately identified. (3) Intermediate rents are rents set above the level of social rents but below market rents and otherwise meet the definition of affordable housing. (4) Includes affordable homes sold at a discounted level in 2004-05 and 2005-06.  Source:  Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns to CLG

Planning Obligations

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his plans are for the future use of section 106 planning powers; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: We are carefully considering the future of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and the related planning obligations regime (also known as s106 agreements). We will make a public announcement as soon as practicable.

Private Rented Housing: Low Incomes

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to help low-income households in receipt of housing benefit to find accommodation in the private rented sector.

Andrew Stunell: My officials will work with local authorities and the advice sector to ensure help and advice is available to households in receipts of housing benefit to find accommodation in the private rented sector. The Department for Work and Pensions is trebling its contribution to local authorities' funding for Discretionary Housing Payments, from £20 million to £60 million. This will give authorities more flexibility to provide additional support where needed, for example to provide rent deposits to help people to move to more affordable accommodation. In addition, local authority housing options services can provide advice and support to tenants on options for moving and support renegotiating their rent where possible.

Tenant Services Authority

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when the decision was taken to abolish the Tenant Services Authority;
	(2)  for what reasons the announcement of the Minister for Housing's decision to abolish the Tenant Services Authority was made to the media and not to Parliament.

Grant Shapps: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 July 2010,  Official Report, column 397W. The review of TSA's role and purpose is ongoing.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the £200 million additional funding for Afghanistan recently announced is to be allocated to humanitarian and development assistance delivered through civilian agencies and non-governmental organisations.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently reviewing its programme for Afghanistan. The Kabul conference, scheduled for this month, will be a key point for the Afghan Government to set out its development priorities and for the international community to set out their plans to support these. We will make specific decisions on spending and focus areas in time for this event. All of the additional spending will meet the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) definition for official development assistance (ODA).

Democratic Republic of Congo: Education

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to meet the Government's commitment to help fund free primary education in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to strengthen the national education strategy and develop a three year plan. The central priority of the strategy is the achievement of universal primary education through the progressive reduction of school fees. The main activity currently funded by the UK is a national census of all teachers and mapping of all schools, to provide accurate data for policy, planning and reforms.
	The Secretary of State for International Development has recently commissioned a review of DFID's aid programmes to determine how we can achieve better value for money for the taxpayer and accelerate progress towards the millennium development goals. DFID's programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be reviewed as part of this process.

Departmental

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on legal advice in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) spent £442,501.95 on legal services in 2009-10. It is not possible to provide the information requested for preceding years without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission is DFID's only non-departmental public body. Since 1997 spent £5,863 on legal services in 2004-05.

Departmental Buildings

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on office refurbishment in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has spent the following amounts on refurbishments and security upgrades to buildings in the UK and overseas since 2002. It is not possible to provide the information requested for previous years without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			  Calendar year  
			 2002 3,061,033 
			 2003 (1)10,970,347 
			 2004 4,533,262 
			 2005 2,625,477 
			 2006 2,257,548 
			 2007 1,753,239 
			 2008 1,090,392 
			   
			  Financial year  
			 2008-09 1,186,205 
			 2009-10 1,226,186 
			 (1) DFID's UK headquarters at Abercrombie House was refurbished in 2003. 
		
	
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) is DFID's only non-departmental public body. CSC does not have its own offices, but pays their secretariat at the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the British Council for admin services.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on televisions in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: It is not possible to provide the information requested for the Department for International Development (DFID) without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), DFID's only non-departmental public body, has not purchased a television.

Departmental Expenditure

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much his  (a) Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on employee training in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how much his  (a) Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies has spent on travel for employees in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) spent the following on staff travel and related costs since 2004-05. It is not possible to provide the information requested for preceding years without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£ million) 
			 2004-05 13.559 
			 2005-06 12.84 
			 2006-07 12.128 
			 2007-08 15.488 
			 2008-09 13.438 
			 2009-10 12.096 
		
	
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) is DFID's only non-departmental public body. CSC has no staff, but spent the following on travel for members of its board of commissioners since 1997.
	
		
			  Calendar year  Amount (£) 
			 1997-98 9,932 
			 1998-99 10,007 
			 1999-2000 10,187 
			 2000-01 13,957 
			 2001-02 9,091 
			 2002-03 14,148 
			 2003-04 14,412 
			 2004-05 14,303 
			 2005-06 18,653 
			 2006-07 17,807 
			 2007-08 20,533 
			 2008-09 23,167 
			 2009-10 20,239

Departmental ICT

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on information and communication technology in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has spent the following amounts on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in 2008-09 and 2009-10. It is not possible to provide the information requested for preceding years without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£)( 1) 
			 2008-09 26,990,838.00 
			 2009-10 19,210,878.26 
			 (1) Includes day-to-day ICT services, such as licences, communications, hardware and staff costs as well as expenditure on ICT projects to provide new or enhanced services to DFID. 
		
	
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) is DFID's only non-departmental public body. CSC pays their secretariat at the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the British Council for admin services. The secretariat provides general ICT support to CSC and the cost of this support cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. Additional expenditure on ICT projects by CSC since 1997 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£) 
			 2002-03 17,996 
			 2008-09 98,750 
			 2009-10 61,288

Departmental Internet

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on website design in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to the 'Government Internet Report' produced by the COI in June 2010, which includes costs of website design for the main website and the Research for Developments website during 2009-10. It is not possible to provide the information requested for preceding years without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission is the Department for International Development's (DFID's) only non-departmental public body. Since 1997 CSC spent £3,000 on website design in 2002-03.

Departmental Lighting

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on light bulbs in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: It is not possible to provide the information requested without incurring disproportionate cost. The Department for International Development (DFID) uses low energy lighting where possible in our UK offices.

Departmental Marketing

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his  (a) Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on logo design in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) spent £98,000 in 2009 on designing and testing the UKaid logo. It is not possible to provide the information requested for preceding years or for our offices overseas without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission is DFID's only non-departmental public body. Since 1997 CSC has spent £2,661 and £120 in 2005-06 and 2008-09 respectively on logo design.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on hospitality in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: It is not possible to provide the information requested for the Department for International Development (DFID) without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), DFID's only non-departmental public body, spent the following on hospitality since 1997.
	
		
			  Calendar year  Amount (£) 
			 1997-98 262 
			 1998-99 60 
			 1999-2000 215 
			 2000-01 989 
			 2001-02 882 
			 2002-03 1,211 
			 2003-04 1,463 
			 2004-05 1,243 
			 2005-06 693 
			 2006-07 1,495 
			 2007-08 1,374 
			 3008-09 143 
			 2009-10 197

Departmental Security

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on security in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) spent £10,939,594 million on security in the UK and overseas in 2009-10. It is not possible to provide the information requested for preceding years without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) is DFID's only non-departmental public body. Since 1997 CSC spent £324 on security for a student event in 2009-10.

Departmental Stationery

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on stationery in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) spent the following on stationery since 2002-03. It is not possible to provide the information requested for preceding years or for our offices overseas without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£) 
			 2002-03 85,272 
			 2003-04 89,875 
			 2004-05 99,387 
			 2005-06 60,699 
			 2006-07 63,118 
			 2007-08 64,321 
			 2008-09 59,621 
			 2009-10 52,303 
		
	
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) is DFID's only non-departmental public body. CSC has spent the following amounts on stationery since 1997. In addition CSC pays their secretariat at the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the British Council for admin services. A proportion of these fees is spent on stationery.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£) 
			 1997-98 9,577 
			 1998-99 9,203 
			 1999-2000 9,604 
			 2000-01 11,364 
			 2001-02 11,879 
			 2002-03 13,539

Departmental Training

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on employee away days in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: It is not possible to provide the information requested for the Department for International Development (DFID) without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, DFID's only non-departmental public body, has not spent any money on employee away days since 1997.

Departmental Utilities

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) electricity, (ii) water, (iii) heating and (iv) telephone services in each year since 1997.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) spent the following amounts on electricity, water, heating and telephone services for our UK offices. We are unable to provide figures for our overseas offices without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Electricity  Water  Heating  Telephone services 
			 1997-98 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998-99 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999-2000 151,165 n/a 30,257 n/a 
			 2000-01 168,635 n/a 44,182 n/a 
			 2001-02 193,067 n/a 50,217 n/a 
			 2002-03 218,932 37,277 61,944 n/a 
			 2003-04 282,345 49,374 63,331 n/a 
			 2004-05 320,811 43,540 67,911 n/a 
			 2005-06 454,478 58,899 109,635 n/a 
			 2006-07 620,304 56,811 131,460 664,000 
			 2007-08 573,520 62,641 103,294 633,000 
			 2008-09 644,079 47,944 121,423 603,000 
			 2009-10 664,422 48,411 101,356 595,000 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) is DFID's only non-departmental public body. CSC has spent the following amounts on telephone services since 1997. CSC pays their secretariat at the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the British Council for admin services.
	
		
			  Financial year  Telephone services (£) 
			 1997-98 2,593 
			 1998-99 2,528 
			 1999-2000 2,056 
			 2000-01 2.045 
			 2001-02 1,238 
			 2002-03 1,632 
			 2003-04 2,521 
			 2004-05 1,385 
			 2005-06 952 
			 2006-07 495 
			 2007-08 1,503 
			 2008-09 1,483 
			 2009-10 -418

Developing Countries: Overseas Aid

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much overseas development aid and assistance is planned to be provided by  (a) other Government departments and  (b) agencies of other Government departments in 2010-11;
	(2)  which  (a) other Government departments and  (b) agencies of other Government departments will contribute to overseas development aid and assistance in 2010-11.

Stephen O'Brien: This will be set out in the spending review later this year. As laid out in 'The Coalition: our programme for government', the Government
	"will stick to the rules laid down by the OECD about what spending counts as aid."

Forests: Carbon Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department is giving to carbon finance mechanism pilot projects to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK is contributing £15 million to the Forest Carbon Partnership Forum (FCPF), which will work in a few pilot countries to test a carbon finance mechanism through a Carbon Fund. This fund is due to be launched by the end of 2010.

Gambia: Overseas Aid

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what development programmes in the Gambia his Department  (a) is running and  (b) plans to run in future years.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) programme in the Gambia currently focuses on support to empowering civil society organisations, building the capacity of the legal sector and basic education. The programme is due to finish in 2011.
	DFID contributes to multilaterals such as the European Commission, the United Nations and regional development banks which have their own programmes in the Gambia. All UK multilateral and bilateral spending is under review.

South Africa: Football

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking in relation to the situation in South Africa involving the clearance of unauthorised dwellings by the Red Ants in preparation for the World Cup.

Henry Bellingham: I have been asked to reply.
	We are aware of recent press reports about enforced removal of South African citizens from informal settlements. We understand that there is no policy in South Africa to remove the visible signs of poverty either ahead of or during the World Cup. But the South African Government are taking steps to meet their targets to provide better housing for South Africans. Staff at our high commission in Pretoria and at our consulate general in Cape Town are following these reports closely and remain in touch with the South African Government and local non-governmental organisations focussing on housing issues.

UN Millennium Development Goals: Meetings

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of progress in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in advance of the Millennium Development Goals Review summit in September 2010.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government supported the United Nations Development programme (UNDP) in producing "What Will it Take to Achieve the MDGs? An International Assessment". This report was published on 17 June and makes an assessment of progress based on over 50 country studies. It also sets out an integrated package of eight priorities for action to achieve the millennium development goals by 2015 which the UK Government fully supports. The report can be access at:
	http://content.undp.org/go/cms-service/stream/asset/?asset_id=2620072

HEALTH

Cancer: Health Education

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what mechanisms other than the Change4Life programme his Department plans to change the  (a) physical,  (b) economic and  (c) social environment to assist people to (i) choose a healthy diet, (ii) increase their physical activity levels and (iii) maintain a healthy weight to reduce their risk of cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Government will be publishing a White Paper on public health later this year. This will set out how to assist people in improving their health and reducing risk of disease, including cancer.

Cancer: Research

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government has spent on funding  (a) research and  (b) education programmes on the links between cancer and (i) diet, (ii) physical activity levels and (iii) weight in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) support a broad portfolio of research on cancer and on the effects on human health of diet, physical activity levels and weight.
	The MRC Centre for Nutritional Epidemiology in Cancer Prevention and Survival was launched in 2006 with a £2.5 million award to the University of Cambridge to fund research into the impact of diet on cancer. The centre provides international leadership in research in the epidemiology and molecular origins of the dietary causes of cancer. It will build on findings from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) and provide compelling scientific evidence to help underpin intervention studies, public health advice and clinical guidance on treatment. Research infrastructure in England for EPIC is provided through the NIHR Clinical Research Network.
	The Food Standards Agency has commissioned research investigating the role of dietary components in preventing diseases of the colon under the N12 Diet and Colonic Health research programme. Total spend over the last three years has been £957,167.
	he Department has not funded any education programmes specifically on the links between cancer and diet, physical activity and weight. The focus of the 'Change for Life' programme is on supporting behaviour change relating to diet and physical activity.

Care Quality Commission: Fees and Charges

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will require the Care Quality Commission to commence its public consultation on its future fees structure prior to 30 September 2010;
	(2)  which criteria will govern the fee charging structure of the Care Quality Commission in relation to charitable organisations with effect from April 2011.

Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission intends to consult on its proposals for registration fees that will apply from April 2011 in the autumn. Any final proposals for registration fees will be subject to the consent of the Secretary of State for Health.

Departmental Regulation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of his Department's regulations are under review; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department is currently in the process of identifying regulations for review. The current focus is on those regulations which impact on the private sector.

Departmental Stationery

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on stationery in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The Department and most of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies order the majority of their stationery requirements via the Department's central contract for stationery. The following table sets out the expenditure via the central contract in this area from April 2005 to March 2010. The figures quoted do not include the Department's spend on stationery which may be purchased in exceptional cases via another route; for example, a member of staff paying for an item of stationery required at short notice and claiming back the money spent as a business expense. There are no central records held for these types of purchases and to provide this information would be at disproportionate cost.
	Information prior to April 2005 was not held centrally.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Department  Agencies and non-departmental public bodies 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 896,043.40 712,133.54 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 898,749.77 767,201.87 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 470,188.38 481,407.41 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 539,493.25 364,078J6 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 507,459.90 145,889.17

Diseases: EU Action

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to implement the provisions of the Council Recommendation for a European Action on rare diseases (2009/C 151/02).

Anne Milton: The Department is working with the Devolved Administrations and key interest groups to develop a plan for rare disease by 2013 in line with the Council's recommendation.

Food: Labelling

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to enforce clearer food labelling to raise public awareness of the use of trans fats in the food industry.

Anne Milton: The Government support the provisions in the European Commission's proposed food information regulation which would allow industry to voluntarily declare the trans fat content of food products.
	Negotiations are ongoing in the European Union on the food information regulations. The exact content of these is unlikely to be agreed before the end of 2011.

General Practitioners

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the  (a) maximum and  (b) minimum size will be of GP commissioning boards;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the numbers of staff of each grade who will service GP commissioning boards.

Simon Burns: The White Paper, "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" published on the 12 July 2010, sets out our intention to devolve power and responsibility for commissioning services to local consortia of general practitioner (GP) practices. To support GP consortia in their commissioning decisions, we will also create an independent NHS Commissioning Board.
	A further document setting out these proposals in more detail will be issued shortly, providing the basis for a full engagement with primary care professionals, patients and the public.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research projects involving genetically-modified  (a) food and  (b) feed have been funded by the Food Standards Agency since 1997; what the (i) topic, (ii) cost, (iii) start date and (iv) project code was of each such project; who the main contractor was in each case; and which such research projects have been completed to date.

Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has commissioned work under three research programmes relevant to the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods. Prior to April 2000 food safety research was the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF). The research funded by the FSA and MAFF has included a series of projects aimed at either better understanding the consequences of the genetic modification of plants, or exploring new/improved methods for use in the safety assessment of genetically modified organisms such as metabolomics and genomics. The relevant programme codes are G01, G02 and G03 and details of the individual projects commissioned by MAFF and the FSA are available on the research pages of the FSA's website at:
	http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/foodcomponentsresearch/novelfoodsresearch/
	The total cost of the research funded by MAFF and the FSA into issues related to GM food safety from 1999 to date is £11.2 million.
	During this period the FSA has commissioned one further project on GM animal feed. This project (reference F01004) examined the fate of DNA from GM plants in dairy cattle and was carried out at the university of Reading/CEDAR between January 2001 and September 2003. The cost of this project was £56,759 and the final report is publicly available.

IVF and Abortion

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on  (a) IVF and  (b) abortion services (i) nationally and (ii) by each primary care trust in the last 12 months.

Anne Milton: The costs of In vitro fertilisation treatment to the national health service, either nationally or by primary care trust (PCT) is not held centrally.
	The cost to the NHS of abortions performed in NHS hospitals in 2008-09 was £82.1 million. The NHS funds abortions undertaken by approved independent sector places under contract to individual PCTs. Information on these contracts is commercially sensitive and is not collected centrally.

Lobbying

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that organisations in receipt of funding from his Department should not lobby his Department.

Paul Burstow: It is not policy that organisations in receipt of funding from the Department should refrain from lobbying the Department. Anyone, including the public, can lobby hon. Members and peers; this is part of the relationship between the state and its citizens in a democracy. The Department funds around £115 billion of resources for health and social care (in England) and we expect to discuss and debate the policies for which these funds are allocated with stakeholders and the manner in which valuable front line services are delivered.
	Voluntary organisations, community groups and social enterprises across the country do extraordinary work every day to improve the lives of others. One of the key principles of the 'Compact on the Relations between Government and the Third Sector in England' is to recognise and support the independence of the third sector; including the right within the law to campaign, to comment on and to challenge Government policy (whatever funding relationship exists). To ensure that we can make the most of the sector's potential, an open, honest and transparent relationship with the Department is essential.

Medical Treatments

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) process and  (b) timeline is for review of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines.

Simon Burns: These are matters for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence as an independent body. Details of the Institute's clinical guidelines review process are available at:
	www.nice.org.uk/media/631/E2/The_guidelines_manual_2009_-_Chapter_14_Updating_clinical_guidelines_and_correcting_errors.pdf

Medical Treatments

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines are overdue for review; and what the reason is for the time taken to complete each such review.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held by the Department. I have asked the chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to write to the hon. Member with this information.

Multiple Sclerosis: Medical Treatments

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline on multiple sclerosis is updated to  (a) reflect the changes to the evidence base for the best care for people living with multiple sclerosis and  (b) take into account all new treatments and drugs for this condition.

Simon Burns: We understand that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence routinely takes such factors into account when reviewing its clinical guidelines.

National Diet and Nutrition Survey

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the contribution of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey programme to his Department's policies; and when he plans to announce his Department's future expenditure on that programme.

Anne Milton: The results of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey are used to develop nutrition policy and to inform Government advice on nutrition. The Department will be publishing a White Paper on public health later this year and the findings from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey will also be used to inform the development of this White Paper.

National Specialised Services Advisory Group

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the remit is of the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services.

Simon Burns: The role of the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services will be to advise on:
	which services and technologies should be nationally commissioned;
	which centres should provide them;
	the annual budget for nationally commissioned services and technologies; and
	the high level strategy for nationally commissioned services and technologies.

NHS Trusts: Marketing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) Enfield Primary Care Trust and  (b) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust spent on (i) marketing and (ii) internal and external communications in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS: Pay

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the highest 100 salaries of employees and officials of the National Health Service were in 2009-10.

Simon Burns: National health service staff earnings estimates are published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care. The published information covers earnings of medical staff and only those non-medical staff under Agenda for Change contractual arrangements. Reliable information on the highest 100 salaries in the NHS is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The most recent NHS Staff Earnings survey was published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care on 17 June 2010. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Nutrition: EU Law

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations  (a) he and  (b) officials of his Department have made to the European Commission on the provision of guidance by the European Food Safety Authority to small and medium-sized businesses on submitting claims applications under Article 13.1 of the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation on  (a) the UK food industry,  (b) the UK natural health food products and  (c) small and medium-sized businesses.

Anne Milton: Food Standards Agency (FSA) officials have continued to push the European Commission to meet the requirements in Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims to make available technical guidance and tools to assist small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in the preparation and presentation of applications for assessment of health claims by the European Food Safety Authority.
	An impact assessment of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 on the United Kingdom food industry, including natural health food producers and SMEs was published in 2007. The document is available on the FSA website, at:
	www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/nhcenwa07.pdf

Patient Responsibility

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to meet the Government's objective of increasing patient responsibility.

Anne Milton: We will set out plans for a new public health service in a White Paper in December based on the three pillars, of national strategy, local leadership and individual responsibility. To promote people's responsibility for their own health, the Government will seek to provide the right information, create the right environment to incentivise healthy options and build social momentum behind positive behaviour change.

Prescription Drugs

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations were made by those opposed to the introduction of automatic generic substitution during his Department's consultation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many responses to his Department's consultation on the proposed introduction of automatic generic substitution  (a) were opposed to its introduction,  (b) expressed reservations and  (c) were in support;
	(3)  how many of those who attended each of his Department's public consultation meetings on automatic generic substitution  (a) expressed concerns about the proposals,  (b) were opposed and  (c) were in favour.

Simon Burns: Responses to the consultation are currently being considered. In accordance with the "Code of Practice on Consultation", a summary of responses and the Department's response to the consultation, including next steps, will be published in due course.

Primary Health Care

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department plans to take to encourage people to undertake self-care for minor ailments;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to make information available at GP surgeries to people on looking after their own health and wellbeing where appropriate in relation to minor ailments.

Paul Burstow: The Department fully supports a greater focus on self-care. With proper support from the national health service and health professionals such as general practitioners and pharmacists, people can take more responsibility for their own health and well-being.
	Community pharmacy continues to increase access to self care for all sections of the population, but especially for people from deprived communities-being more conveniently situated in the local community and open later and longer than many other conventional health facilities. Every day community pharmacies provide advice and sell over-the-counter medicines, where appropriate, for people presenting to pharmacies for minor ailments and injuries.
	The NHS Choices and NHS Direct websites include information on health and well-being to help people understand the importance of self-care and when to seek advice from health professionals This includes online symptom checkers and self-assessment tools, such as NHS MidLifeCheck and the Information Prescriptions (IP) Service which enables people to create tailored IPs on specific conditions and their treatment, management and support options.
	A personalised care planning discussion with a healthcare professional encourages people with long-term conditions to self care through a process of shared decision making, goal setting and action planning. A personalised care plan pulls together all the information an individual needs to manage their own health, including signposting to further sources of advice and support. A patient information leaflet is available to help people understand self care support and what to expect from personalised care planning and their care plan.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many sexually transmitted infections were diagnosed in genito-urinary medicine clinics in England in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of sexually transmitted infections which were diagnosed at  (a) Waverley Sexual Health Clinic, St Albans and  (b) genito-urinary medicine clinics in Hertfordshire in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: Information on the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) diagnosed in genitor-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics in England is published in "All new STI episodes seen at GUM clinics in the UK: 1999-2008 (Data is represented by country, gender and sexual orientation)", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
	No estimate has been made on the number of STIs diagnosed at clinic level. Owing to small cell sizes and risk of deductive disclosure, clinic level data on STI diagnoses are not published. Data on STI diagnoses are not currently available by primary care trust (PCT) of residence but are available by strategic health authority (SHA). This information is published in "All new STI episodes seen at GUM clinics in England: 1999-2008 (Data is represented by SHA, gender and sexual orientation") a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The STI data are grouped in this document by the 10 SHAs, which include the East of England SHA. The data for 2009 will be published on 21 July 2010 and will be available by PCT.

Sickle Cell Diseases

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department took to mark the United Nations World Sickle Cell Day on 19 June 2010;
	(2)  what  (a) recent steps have been taken and  (b) steps he plans to take to raise public awareness of sickle cell disease and thalassaemia, with particular reference to (i) screening and (ii) reducing stigma associated with these conditions.

Paul Burstow: The Department has funded the national health service sickle cell and thalassaemia screening programme since 2001 to develop and implement a linked antenatal and newborn screening programme. Both antenatal and newborn screening has now been implemented throughout England. The profile of the conditions continues to rise due to the success of the screening programme.
	One of the key aims of the programme is to raise awareness of the conditions-both among the public and health care professionals-challenge stigma and ensure that screening is acceptable to at-risk communities. The programme has rolled out an extensive programme to engage the public in areas with a high prevalence of sickle cell and thalassaemia. This has been evaluated and the programme is planning to continue and extend this work. It is also using its experience working with the public to develop materials to specifically engage men in the screening journey.
	The Department does not usually take any steps to mark the United Nations World Sickle Cell Day.

Smoking

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will  (a) conduct and  (b) commission research on changes to (i) the prevalence of tobacco use and (ii) the incidence of lung cancer in (A) the UK and (B) Sweden in each of the last 10 years.

Anne Milton: We have no plans to commission such research, as data of this type are already available.
	Data from the United Kingdom and other European member states, including Sweden, on smoking-related mortality and premature mortality from cancer are available in the Department's publication 'Health Profile of England 2009'. A copy has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_114561
	Data on smoking prevalence in Great Britain are in the Office for National Statistics publication 'General Lifestyle Survey 2008: Smoking and Drinking Among Adults, 2008'. This has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/product.asp?vlnk=5756

Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Display) (England) Regulations 2010

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to revoke the Tobacco Authority and Promotion (Display) (England) Regulations 2010.

Anne Milton: Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of death in England. Discussions are taking place across Government to decide how best to tackle this issue in the context of our focus on public health, and our priorities given the challenges facing business competition and costs.
	These considerations include the policy on display of tobacco products and sales from tobacco vending machines.

West Kent Primary Care Trust: Homeopathy

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on NHS homeopathic treatment by West Kent Primary Care Trust in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: Data on spending on homeopathic services as a whole are not routinely collected by the Department.
	You may wish to contact the Chair of West Kent Primary Care Trust directly for further information.

PRIME MINISTER

Afghanistan

John Spellar: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2010,  Official Report, column 484W, on Afghanistan, how many organisations accepted the invitation to accompany him on this visit.

David Cameron: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 29 June 2010,  Official Report, column 484W.

Departmental Petitions

Kate Hoey: To ask the Prime Minister when the 10 Downing street e-petition system will be operational; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the information on the No. 10 website at:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/communicate/e-petitions

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Prime Minister which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his office and  (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches.

David Cameron: Speechwriting is co-ordinated by my private office with input from others as appropriate.

Kazakhstan: Foreign Visits

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to visit Kazakhstan.

David Cameron: I have no current plans to do so.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to reply to the letter to him dated 20 May 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr D. Moody.

David Cameron: A reply has been sent.

New School Network

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister who was invited to attend the New School Network reception held at 10 Downing street on 30 June 2010.

David Cameron: Information on official and charity receptions held at 10 Downing street is published by means of an annual list as soon as it is ready at the end of the financial year.